Chapter 16 – Writing a Definition Essay
The chapter provides four example essays. One, “Deft or Daft”, describes how a word, derived from a common root, can diverge into words having greatly different meanings. The root for both “deft” and “daft” is dhabh, which means “to fit.” “Daft” transitioned from a gentle meaning of mild or gentle to crazy or foolish. “Deft” s has changed from “fit” to “skilled” to “dexterous” to “deft.”
The essay shows other examples of how the definition of words has changed over time.
