The Multigenerational Staying Power of the Word ‘Cool’

Dr. Erica Brozovsky of thePBSseriesOtherwords explained the etymological origins of the word cool", noting how this word has transcended multiple generations over the course of a century.

Most slang words come and go, but there's one undisputed king that's over 100 years old and still as relevant as ever... and that's cool.

Brozovsky also spoke to how the word's linguistic flexibility led to such staying power.

Cool has a lot of usages, and they're almost all positive. It can mean laid back and confident, trendy and fashionable, impressive, or awe-inspiring. It can be a verb, as in cool it," or a state of forgiveness, like are we cool?" An intensifier, like a cool million bucks. Or just a term of approval, as in wanna see a movie? Cool.

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The post The Multigenerational Staying Power of the Word Cool' was originally published on Laughing Squid.