derВ», a comparative form of the word presbus, В«old manВ». Because churches of most religions are headed by elders and not youth, and because age is often equated with wisdom, the Greek word gradually acquired the meaning of В«church leader, priestВ». The different forms represent borrowings made at different times, with priest being the oldest English form, followed by prester, followed by the learned borrowing of presbyter. p align="justify"> In what for Suffield is the greatest example of amelioration, the early Old English word hlГЎfweard, which if translated using its descendant words would be rendered loafward, mea nt В«the keeper of the bread В»and was applied to the head of a household. Although В«keeper of the breadВ» might bear witness to the importance of that most basic of foodstuffs to early Anglo-Saxons, alternatively one might argue that it had no more literal sense than bread - do es in the modern word breadwinner. The word hlГЎfweard has been shortened over time, first to hlГЎford and then to lord. Over time, the word has been used of not just any head of household but of princes and nobility; this sense was exten ded to include the Prince of Light, God. For Suffield, this extension of lord makes a fitting appellation for Christ, given that Christ was the keeper of the bread of communion. The word lord, which ends the poem, stands in start contrast to the demeaning phrase christgeewhiz used earlier in the poem as an example of pejoration. By ending the poem with the word lord, Suffield offers a hope for redemption for all words.the poet Suffield believes that man has taken the meaning out of God's words, reducing pater noster to patter and God's son's name to a curse. Yet if he is extreme in his view of pejoration as an example of man's trivialization of God and rejection of divine meaning, the process of semantic change is almost universally condemned by teachers, scholars and other concerned language speakers. In fact, semantic drift is as natural as continental drift and almost as inexorable. The meanings of words change, sometimes for the worse, but sometimes providing useful distinctions. Some words, like lord, are even inspired.of semantic changethe above discussion shows, many people view semantic change with strong emotions. Some, like Suffield, may even perceive it as an almost diabolical force. The discussion of meaning change is often emotionally charged, with the meanings perceived as В«improvingВ» (amelioration) or В«worseningВ» (pejoration) over time. This next section will attempt to provide a more clinical overview of how words change meanings.this: flip through the dictionary and look at random for a word with four or more meanings, preferably a word you think you know. Chances are you will find that it has an unlikely hodge-podge of meanings, at least one of which will surprise you. Here'...
