4 ms·
I'm sorry, but according to whom? Not the dictionary, or Wikipedia.
by 13thLetter 11y ago
I'm sorry, but according to whom? Not the dictionary, or Wikipedia.
- Apocryphon 11y agoAccording to popular use. A lot of words, especially in the political or controversial sphere, end up having folk definitions that are open to interpretation. Witness how meaningless labels like "conservative" or "liberal" become when you try to dissect them.
- briandear 11y agoIncorrect popular use doesn't make it correct. This venue if any ought to know the difference.
- chris_wot 11y agoTell that to the U.S. Supreme Court, who believe a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden
- dragonwriter 11y agoWell, the US Supreme Court (in 1893) believed that the Congress (in 1883) in writing a tariff act was using the words "fruit" and "tomato" as they are commonly used in English, and not as they are strictly used botanically. In the absence of specific definitions in the law to the contrary that seems a fairly reasonable interpretation of the meaning most likely intended by Congress.
- chris_wot 11y agoYup, that's my point :-)
- 13thLetter 11y agoIf that definition is so widely open to interpretation that people with opposing views can't even talk to each other about it without misunderstandings, perhaps we shouldn't use that definition. Let's stick to the dictionary definition instead.