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Pages:
4 pages/≈1100 words
Sources:
2 Sources
Style:
MLA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 14.4
Topic:

Word with Different Meanings:Denotation,Connotation,Historical,Cultural

Essay Instructions:

3. Select a word that has lots of different meanings, using three of the four categories of definition:
Denotation--actual dictionary definitions
Connotation--See dictionary.com.
Historical--various meanings throughout history
Cultural--different meanings for the same word in different culture (Note: This does not mean looking at what the word is in another language for a particular word in English. You are looking at what an English word in the United States means in New Zealand, Great Britain, Canada, etc. For instance, in the United States, a bonnet is a hat tied under the chin, but in Great Britain, a bonnet is, generally, the hood of a car)
. Research your word. Use such sources as Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

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Definition Essay
Several English words have since evolved and are used to define other words. Most English words have been derived from Latin to mean the same thing in English. The word gross is a Latin word that with variety of meanings in English in reference to size. With new experiences and ideas brought by popular cultures, gross have evolved to describe specific ideas, altering its meaning to suit the emerging culture.
The word gross has lots of different meanings in English, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, gross means wrongdoing, for example, gross negligence or gross human rights abuses (Oxford University Press 1). Gross is defined as income or interest before deduction of tax or any other contribution (Oxford University Press 1). For example, the gross amount of the house is at $ 1,000. The other meaning of gross as defined by the Oxford English dictionary is large scale or something not detailed, for example, at the gross anatomical level (Oxford University Press 1).
Gross has different meanings, according to dictionary .com, gross means without deduction or total like the amount of sales, profits, salary before deduction of expenses. Gross is the opposite of the word net. For example, gross sales or gross earnings (Dictionary .com 1). Gross according to dictionary .com also means unqualified, complete or rank, for example, a gross scoundrel. Gross is further defined as flagrant or extreme, for example, gross injustice. Gross can be defined as “improper, indecent, obscene or vulgar”, for example, gross remarks (Dictionary .com 1).
Other meanings of the word gross as defined by dictionary .com mean lack of refinement, like good manners or education. It can also be used to describe something big, bulky, extreme or excessive or thick. Gross is used as a slang word to describe objectionable, offensive or disgusting situations, for example, when describing an outfit, one can state that; he wore an outfit that was gross(Dictionary .com 1).
As a noun, the word gross is used to describe a group of 12 dozen or 144. As a verb, the word gross is used with an object to mean to have, make or earn as a total before deduction, for example, a company gross earning within a year. The word gross has different meanings depending on how it is used; gross can be used as an adjective, a noun and also a verb (Dictionary .com 1).
Origin of gross
Although gross is a Latin word meaning coarse or thick, the word gross has a variety of meanings in English in reference to size, but the modern definition of the word gross emerged in the 1950s among American teenagers (Dorn 2). In America, the word gross was first developed by a student in 1958 to mean disgusting. Gross was later generalized to describe the expressions like gross laxity. The word gross did not undergo major changes in meaning, but its context changed during the late 20th century. Young people adopted the word gross, making it a slang word in the 1980s (Dorn 3).
With time, gross spread beyond the teen world. Generally, the word gross meant coarse and vulgar, but it later became a word used to mean excess (Dorn 2). Researchers have traced the origin of this word to the Mesopotamia era when...
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