That’s a pretty controversial take. I don’t think anyone would call 5am “night” if they woke up at that time, but just really early morning. Same with 11pm being evening is more to do if weather you’re still awake or not. These are fuzzy definitions that are more about vibes than precisely what the clock says.
Same with the seasons really. There’s the definition you’ve given, and then there’s the one that’s more about the seasonal differences in the region. Winter where I live for example starts in November (probably around Remembrance day if I were to pin it down). It’s silly too wait until the solstice to consider it winter when there’s been over a month of snow on the ground and freezing temps.
The dictionary is…literally (hello self-evidence) full of words for which there has long existed an ‘Objective Definition’ but which usage has brought a consensus based ‘Subjective Definition’. Etymology is the study of a shifting process, and both you and them are correct:
Them in the expected usage a publication should use to apply it to a discreet entity, and you in the fact that the subjective shift in meaning gives us words that map anecdotally to our lives.
That’s a pretty controversial take. I don’t think anyone would call 5am “night” if they woke up at that time, but just really early morning. Same with 11pm being evening is more to do if weather you’re still awake or not. These are fuzzy definitions that are more about vibes than precisely what the clock says.
Same with the seasons really. There’s the definition you’ve given, and then there’s the one that’s more about the seasonal differences in the region. Winter where I live for example starts in November (probably around Remembrance day if I were to pin it down). It’s silly too wait until the solstice to consider it winter when there’s been over a month of snow on the ground and freezing temps.
The dictionary is…literally (hello self-evidence) full of words for which there has long existed an ‘Objective Definition’ but which usage has brought a consensus based ‘Subjective Definition’. Etymology is the study of a shifting process, and both you and them are correct:
Them in the expected usage a publication should use to apply it to a discreet entity, and you in the fact that the subjective shift in meaning gives us words that map anecdotally to our lives.
Truly…language is awe-some.