Dictionary

skunked term en · NOUN

Etymology

Coined by American lawyer, lexicographer, and teacher Bryan A. Garner, and since adopted by some other style guides.

Meanings

1. A word that becomes difficult to use because it is transitioning from one meaning to another. Purists may insist on the old usage, while descriptivists are more open to newer usages.
   • When the skunked term has a different meaning, it's given in parentheses. 2013, Ben Yagoda, How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them, Penguin, →ISBN:
   • It isn't a skunked term, but it's gradually becoming something like one. 2000, Bryan A. Garner, “lady”, in The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, page 206:

Forms