> All of this begs the question, when does a definition change of a word change? (This is a perfect context for “begs the question”) I think that form of the

> All of this begs the question, when does a definition change of a word change? (This is a perfect context for “begs the question”) I think that form of the question isn’t a useful one and that’s the issue in the broader discussion. A definition is a useful yet leaky abstraction. If you take the viewpoint that a dictionary is merely descriptive, then “the” definition isn’t really a thing. “A” definition is more appropriate. If a definition is an attempt to capture one of the common ways people use and understand a word, your question becomes this: When do the ways people use and understand a word change? At what point is there close enough to nobody left using a word in a given way? The distinction is crucial here because a word can mean many things, and it can mean different things to different people. I’d answer your question by pointing to that phrase about science: It progresses one funeral at a time.