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David108>I'm probably suffering from millennium overload!
no doubt this one has been driven into the ground recently, but we may have to resort to the OED as to which sense came first. Webster's Third Int'l has the order reversed from what you quoted and logically you'd think that it originally meant simply a period of 1000 years, given its roots are New Latin mille + ennium.
[later in the day}
okay, this one is arguable -- according to the OED, the first known written English usage (ca. 1634) was indeed in reference to the 1000 year reign of Christ, borrowing directly the existing New Latin word for 1000 years (which follows the pattern of biennium, triennium, etc.); English poets soon (ca. 1711) picked up on the general usage. Reading between the lines here, W3 evidently lists the general usage first becasue of the pre-existing NL word. (quoting the W3 preface) "In definition of words of many meanings the earliest ascertainable meaning is listed first."
Credit current overuse to the Mass Media. (no pun intended with 'Mass' :)
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Decimate Rubrick 05/20/00 09:56 PM Re: Decimate lusy 05/20/00 10:54 PM Re: Decimate tsuwm 05/21/00 01:59 AM Re: Decimate juanmaria 05/21/00 07:14 AM Re: Decimate tsuwm 05/21/00 01:59 PM Re: Decimate juanmaria 05/21/00 06:43 PM Re: Decimate Rubrick 05/22/00 12:42 PM Re: shifting meanings tsuwm 05/22/00 01:13 PM Re: shifting meanings Rubrick 05/22/00 01:20 PM Re: shifting meanings juanmaria 05/23/00 07:22 PM Chauvinist Rubrick 05/25/00 07:51 AM Re: Chauvinist jmh 05/25/00 10:43 AM Re: Chauvinist tsuwm 05/25/00 10:29 PM Re: Chauvinist Rubrick 05/26/00 01:48 PM Re: Chauvinist tsuwm 05/26/00 02:02 PM Re: Chauvinist Rubrick 05/26/00 02:14 PM Re: Chauvinist tsuwm 05/26/00 02:25 PM Re: Chauvinist Rubrick 05/26/00 02:35 PM Re: Chauvinist tsuwm 05/26/00 02:40 PM Re: Chauvinist Rubrick 05/26/00 02:45 PM Re: Chauvinist tsuwm 05/26/00 09:37 PM Re: Chauvinist jmh 05/27/00 04:54 PM Re: Chauvinist Rubrick 05/28/00 04:11 PM Re: Chauvinist tsuwm 05/28/00 07:11 PM Re: some other examples David108 05/28/00 07:24 PM re: millennium tsuwm 05/30/00 02:54 PM Re: re: millennium Jackie 05/30/00 11:46 PM Re: Chauvinist Jackie 05/26/00 07:13 PM Re: usage panels tsuwm 05/22/00 03:52 PM Re: usage panels Rubrick 05/22/00 10:40 PM Re: usage panels tsuwm 05/23/00 08:13 PM Re: usage panels jmh 05/23/00 08:23 PM Re: usage panels jmh 05/24/00 07:30 AM Re: usage panels Rubrick 05/24/00 01:00 PM Re: Decimate juanmaria 05/23/00 07:21 PM Re: Decimate Rubrick 05/24/00 09:47 AM Re: Decimate juanmaria 05/24/00 10:47 AM Globalisation jmh 05/24/00 12:44 PM Re: Globalisation AnnaStrophic 05/24/00 02:16 PM Re: Decimate Rubrick 05/24/00 12:51 PM Re: Decimate juanmaria 05/24/00 01:58 PM Re: Latin jmh 05/25/00 10:35 AM Re: Latin wsieber 05/26/00 11:55 AM Re: Latin Jackie 05/26/00 07:08 PM Re: Latin juanmaria 05/27/00 07:11 PM Re: Latin Jackie 05/27/00 07:21 PM Re: Latin juanmaria 05/27/00 08:02 PM Re: absence makes it hard to find 'er tsuwm 05/27/00 09:24 PM Re: Ladies AnnaStrophic 05/28/00 12:50 AM Re: absence makes it hard to find 'er juanmaria 05/28/00 10:20 AM Hmmmmm jmh 05/28/00 02:51 PM Re: Hmmmmm tsuwm 05/28/00 07:05 PM Re: Hmmmmm jmh 05/28/00 07:43 PM Re: Hmmmmm tsuwm 05/29/00 07:21 PM Re: Latin Jackie 05/28/00 01:42 AM Re: Latin jmh 05/28/00 03:09 PM Re: Latin Rubrick 05/28/00 04:34 PM The spoken word jmh 05/28/00 07:56 PM Re: Latin juanmaria 06/01/00 03:44 PM Re: Other Planets jmh 06/02/00 06:19 AM Re: Latin Rubrick 05/28/00 04:14 PM Re: Latin jmh 05/28/00 08:01 PM
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