Remember when this word had meaning?

>>9309218
i literally don't, no

Opening up the world wide web to all of humanity was a mistake.

Remember when "literally" was the only word in English language that could not be used figuratively?

File: witty.jpg (63KB, 900x750px) Image search: [Google]

63KB, 900x750px

*rolls in grave*

>>9309236
It's the latest victim of redefinition, much like 'actually' and 'basically'. All three of them now mean the same thing.

It didn't. Stop being around morons.

>silly (adj.)
>Old English gesælig "happy, fortuitous, prosperous" (related to sæl "happiness"), from Proto-Germanic *sæligas (source also of Old Norse sæll "happy," Old Saxon salig, Middle Dutch salich, Old High German salig, German selig "blessed, happy, blissful," Gothic sels "good, kindhearted"), from PIE *sele- "of good mood; to favor," from root *sel- (2) "happy, of good mood; to favor" (source also of Latin solari "to comfort," Greek hilaros "cheerful, gay, merry, joyous").

>This is one of the few instances in which an original long e (ee) has become shortened to i. The same change occurs in breeches, and in the American pronunciation of been, with no change in spelling. [Century Dictionary]

>The word's considerable sense development moved from "happy" to "blessed" to "pious," to "innocent" (c. 1200), to "harmless," to "pitiable" (late 13c.), "weak" (c. 1300), to "feeble in mind, lacking in reason, foolish" (1570s). Further tendency toward "stunned, dazed as by a blow" (1886) in knocked silly, etc. Silly season in journalism slang is from 1861 (August and September, when newspapers compensate for a lack of hard news by filling up with trivial stories). Silly Putty trademark claims use from July 1949.

>It is a widespread phenomenon that the words for 'innocent', apart from their legal use, develop, through 'harmless, guileless', a disparaging sense 'credulous, naive, simple, foolish.' [Buck]

Words change their meaning more often as one might suppose. Hope my format turned alright.

>>9309236
>using the word "literally" figuratively <.<

Truth now means fiction/exaggeration. Someone please kill me.

>>9309218
Remember when "doubt" meant to fear or be apprehensive that something is going to happen?

>My father's spirit in arms! all is not well;
>I doubt some foul play: would the night were come!

>>9309218
Actually, literally has been used figuratively for a long time.

Even the earliest dictionaries often give the second definition of literally as "figuratively" or some variant. You can find instances of this from the 18thC. Furthermore, the definitions aren't usually listed as being anything other than legitimate. No "colloquial" or anything. Completely prescriptive, even.

My 1942 copy of Websters also lists the figurative use.

It isn't a new thing. It wasn't caused by the internet.

Also, rhetorically using 'literally' in a figurative is completely okay, you fucking plebs. Being this pedantic is autistic.