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So why describe him as a "greybeard" then? It are you claiming to have met many younger and/or female 'greybeards'? If your answer is that 'it's just part of t
by squiffsquiff 4y ago
So why describe him as a "greybeard" then? It are you claiming to have met many younger and/or female 'greybeards'?
If your answer is that 'it's just part of the story'. Well that's precisely the complaint.
- skavi 4y agogreybeard has always felt like a term of respect to me. personally i think of the type of person who could have been at bell labs in its heydays. definitely could exclude women though.
- capableweb 4y agoThe meaning of "greybeard" have moved from being literally, to current be figuratively. It doesn't mean that the person is A) old, B) man C) have a beard and D) that the beard is grey. It simply means someone experienced/being at something for a long time. The greybeards at a company can be all women of the age 26, but if they been with the company for 5 years when the company got started 5 years ago, they are the greybeards of that company. Might as well say "veteran" or "old-timer", although "old-timer" would imply actual old age, "veteran" implies nothing like that.
- avar 4y ago"veteran", from latin "vetus" meaning "old" :)
- capableweb 4y agoWeirdly enough, we don't speak latin no more, and the meaning of words changes over time :)
- burnished 4y agoBecause it communicates a well understood idea. It is great that we as a society are becoming more conscious about the way we speak, but I feel like your complaints here are aimed anyone who isn't achieving the proper level of 'purity'.
- jokethrowaway 4y agoIt's 2022. Men can get pregnant and women can have a beard. Greybeards is an inclusive term and it's a well known term.
- justbaker 4y agoI hope your username is accurate.
- jokethrowaway 4y agofighting fire with their own fire