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On the subject of the right of words to have more than one politically correct meaning, I highly recommend getting access to the OED. This is often available with a local library card in the UK. Here& #39;s the word & #39;cabbage& #39;, for your edification.
The OED was the culmination in lexicography of the now-dominant trend in the English language to define words by their usage rather than their origin, e.g. etymology.
This is why English words and phrases now get added to the dictionary, to reflect modern usage trends, and existing words are updated as their meanings develop and shift.
Many politically charged and difficult words reveal their complexities and their politics when examined under the detailed lens of the OED& #39;s unparalleled attributions, where you can see the first written instance of the word used in its various senses.
Although it may seem unconventional to use Urban Dictionary in order to look at the meaning of a word, it is quite close in some ways to the spirit of the OED by focussing on the way the words are used today, on the ground, not in some high school Concise dictionary definition.
What the OED shows us is that, unlike the dreams of the 18th century dictionary writer like Samuel Johnson, language is not fixed in meaning, but constantly shifting and changing according to the way it is used. Any attempt to control language should be viewed suspiciously.
“The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.” Philip K. Dick
As Johnson himself noted when his dictionary was published in 1855, "academies have been instituted, to guard the avenues of their languages, to retain fugitives, and repulse intruders; but their vigilance and activity have hitherto been vain; 1/2
"sounds are too volatile and subtile for legal restraints; to enchain syllables, and to lash the wind, are equally the undertakings of pride, unwilling to measure its desires by its strength." 2/2
Ultimately, language is an expression of freedom. It should not be censored, not least because those with the power to censor language are likely to have other powers as well. We are all free to choose the words we use, and they reflect who we are, which is as it should be.
