There is a usual trajectory for words that have multiple meanings especially
if one is an abstract meaning.
Usually they have a concrete meaning that comes first and then there's a kind of metaphorical extension.
Sometimes we have words that are similar and it's just a coincidence and sometimes there are words that are similar and that is a coincidence but they also kind of intersect anyway.
Coming up on Word Matters, a set of words with counter-intuitive semantic trajectories,
and the story of ferment and foment.
I'm Emily Brewster,
and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.
On each episode, Merriam-Webster editors Amon Shea, Peter Sokolowski,
and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary's vantage point.
We're well acquainted with the metaphorical extensions of our words.
The warmth we experience physically on a sunny day,
of course, preceded the warmth of a comfortable friendship.
But there are some words that went in the opposite direction semantically.
Words with abstract meanings that predate the concrete meanings one might assume came first.
I'll lay them out for you.
We often talk about how words shift in meaning,
and there is a usual trajectory for words that have multiple meanings,
especially if one is an abstract meaning.
Usually they have a concrete meaning that comes first,