A skunked term is a word or phrase that becomes difficult to use because it is evolving from one meaning to another, perhaps gaining an inconsistent or even opposite definition, or that becomes difficult to use due to other controversy surrounding the term. The term was coined by the lexicographer Bryan A. Garner in Garner's Modern American Usage and has since been adopted by some other style guides.
A skunked term is a word or phrase that becomes difficult to use because it is evolving from one meaning to another, perhaps gaining an inconsistent or even opposite definition, or that becomes difficult to use due to other controversy surrounding the term. The term was coined by the lexicographer Bryan A. Garner in Garner's Modern American Usage and has since been adopted by some other style guides.
Source: Wikipedia "Skunked term" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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