Why, oh why, do we insist on using words that are so clearly a product of our own confused minds?
Take, for instance, the word "quarantine". Is it a place or a state of being? Can we really say with certainty that it's the place we go when our bodies are sick, or is it just a made-up word to describe a made-up feeling?
We're a species that's simultaneously fascinated and terrified by the unknown. We create words to describe the indescribable, like "quarantine" and "soulmate", and then we get all bent out of shape trying to figure out what they mean!
Semantics: The Real Reason We're All Confused Etymology of the Month: January 2023 Lexicographer's Lament: A Year in Review