Changing definitions – not exactly a moot point

Language always is in transition. The words we use go in and out of style while their definitions and pronunciations evolve over time. This is a glacial process, of course, and universal education tends slow it even further by fostering a standardization of vocabulary, spelling and grammar rules. But just as Shakespeare spoke differently than men of the Civil War who spoke differently than people of the early 21st century, so people in a few decades will speak differently than us. 

Among those words that is in transition is moot. Dictionaries and grammarians will tell you that the word means something is open to discussion or disputable. For example: Developing the city’s waterfront is a moot point.

Increasingly, though, moot is coming to mean superfluous, as in “Just because you’re ‘now sixteen’ is a moot point!” her mother said.

So which is correct for moot? As with other words in transition, that depends on your audience. The more likely they are to know that you’re not following the standard definition, the less you should be willing to stray from it. When in doubt, be conservative with your usage.

______________

My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.