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Definition Evolution
How "person" changed
across 200 years.
across 200 years.
Same word. Four dictionaries. Two centuries. Their own definitions.
1828
Webster's American Dictionary
"An individual of the human race... In law, an artificial person is a corporation or body politic."
1856
Bouvier's Law Dictionary
"This word is applied to men, women and children, who are called natural persons. In law, a person is also... a corporation, which is an artificial person."
1913
Webster's Revised Unabridged
"A living, self-conscious being, as distinct from an animal or a thing... In law, an individual or incorporated group having certain legal rights and responsibilities."
1968
Black's Law Dictionary MEANING SHIFTED
"In general usage, a human being (i.e. natural person), though by statute term may include a firm, labor organizations, partnerships, associations, corporations, legal representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, or receivers."
See the full 6-layer analysis of "person" →
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Definition Drift
Words change meaning across centuries.
LIBRARY shows you when, where, and why.
LIBRARY shows you when, where, and why.
| Term | Original Meaning | Modern Drift |
|---|---|---|
| Theory | Greek theoria: direct contemplation of truth (Aristotle, ~350 BCE) | Reduced to "an educated guess" — the opposite of its origin |
| Education | Latin educere: to draw out — developing the innate capacity of a being | Information delivery — pouring in rather than drawing out |
| Democracy | Greek demos + kratia: Aristotle warned it could become rule by the mob | Idealized as the highest form of government without qualification |
| Organic | Pertaining to living organisms with inherent order (Aristotle's organon) | In chemistry: any compound containing carbon — including petroleum |
| Person | Roman persona: a mask, a legal role — distinct from the living being | Merged with "human being" — obscuring the legal entity distinction |
| License | Latin licentia: permission to do what is otherwise forbidden | Treated as a routine administrative requirement |
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