714: Dude Nov 21, 2016

This post is modified from an answer I gave to a fan a few days ago asking what 'dude' means. What makes this slightly tricky is that words used in more informal contexts often are not defined well by dictionaries, either because they do not feature as heavily in texts, and or that they are situationally dependent. In the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the word is defined as "a fastidiously dressed man" and "city dweller", which is not how most people use the word now. These senses go back to the way it was used in the late 1800's, as around 130 years ago, this was used pejoratively to describe overdressed men. Words have changed as society changes, but often dictionaries aren't edited at the same rate. If you ever have your own questions, please feel free to submit them in a message.