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Nope. Like I said a moment ago[0], it really did just mean ‘free as in speech’, like not-quite-free public transport suggests. Your explanation is certainly ver
by samhw 5y ago
Nope. Like I said a moment ago[0], it really did just mean ‘free as in speech’, like not-quite-free public transport suggests. Your explanation is certainly very neat and plausible - all the makings of a folk etymology - but it happens not to be correct.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31008161 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31008161
- implements 5y agoYou’re right about “Public, as in open to all (who can pay)” being the primary origin of the name, but it has also evolved to mean: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20school https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20school “An endowed secondary boarding school in Great Britain offering a classical curriculum and preparation for the universities or public service.” The purpose of public schools isn’t academic excellence (though of-course they support it for their most able pupils) but networking and the ‘habits of person’ necessary to compete socially in class-sensitive institutions.