Looking for a word

[Bill]

I'm looking for a word to describe a particular phenomenon, and I thought you all might be able to help.

Let's say an author from an earlier time period uses a term in a sense that's appropriate to that author's time period. Then, the author dies and the language evolves, or new technologies are invented. Modern readers or audiences encounter the term used by the author and incorrectly think it means something different than what the author could have possibly intended.

For example, one of the witches in Macbeth shows that she has "a pilot's thumb." The word pilot meant (and still means) someone who steers a ship. But most modern audiences are familiar with the word as meaning someone who flies an airplane, obviously not what Shakespeare meant.

I don't think this is technically an anachronism, and even if it is, I'd prefer to find a different word. "Anachronism" is generally used to describe instances where Shakespeare himself uses something appropriate to his own time in a play set before it would have been appropriate, such as the clock striking in Julius Caesar.

What I'm describing isn't a mistake; it's an accident of history. If no such word exists, I am considering coining the word "retrochronism." But is there an existing word I can use instead?

[ElGuapo]

I like your word. Closest I can think of would be something more generic like a misinterpretation or a distortion, or how about "archaic-word-usage-open-to-misinterpretation."

[rockgolf]

Maybe we could go simpler. Since an "anachronism" is something incorrect in time, wouldn't the opposite be correct for its' time? Hence, I propose "achronism".

[Paucle]

I like achronism!
Now all we need is a word for the word spelled "its' "

[ElGuapo]

Is there a version of tag with more than one it? If so what are its' objectives?

[Bill]

Thanks for the responses!

I get what you're saying with achronism, but it doesn't quite work for me for two reasons.

1. The reference would have been correct in its time, but that's not the defining feature of the concept I'm trying to name. I'm not saying it's the opposite of an anachronism... it's just anachronistic in the opposite direction.

2. The prefix "a" means without, such as in amoral or atheistic. So I'd be more likely to use achronism to refer to something for which time was irrelevant. "Don't put the year in there; I want to keep it achronistic."

So I'll probably stick with retrochronism. I'm surprised there's no existing word, but if this group doesn't know one, then there isn't!

Thanks, again!

[Bill]

So I actually went with "retrochronism" for this, but now I'm looking for another word.

This time, I want to talk about scientific facts that Shakespeare got wrong, only it's not his fault because they weren't known about at the time.

For example, a character in Shakespeare mentions that the world is almost six thousand years old. That was the prevailing belief at the time, but no credible scientist believes that today.

So what do you call that? It's not an anachronism. Right now, I'm calling them Shakespeare Science Bloopers, but that doesn't feel right either, because they're not really mistakes on his part. They were considered true at the time they were written.

Any help from the local verbivores would be much appreciated.

[Neel Mehta]

So, "conventional wisdom, since disproven"?

"Conventional wisdom" might be some editorializing on my part. I'm having a hard time getting a handle on how anchored the characters were to these so-called scientific facts. Is it a basis of common knowledge, like "Judge his ills we cannot, before the doctor applieth the leeches"? Or something stronger, like "I think of none but thee, and shall not til the sun no longer rotateth around the Earth"?

You're probably going for something stronger. "Outmoded facts"? Let me think upon it.

[Bill]

So, "conventional wisdom, since disproven"?

"Conventional wisdom" might be some editorializing on my part. I'm having a hard time getting a handle on how anchored the characters were to these so-called scientific facts. Is it a basis of common knowledge, like "Judge his ills we cannot, before the doctor applieth the leeches"? Or something stronger, like "I think of none but thee, and shall not til the sun no longer rotateth around the Earth"?

You're probably going for something stronger. "Outmoded facts"? Let me think upon it.

Either of your examples would make my list.

Outmoded is good. I've been playing with outdated. Facts may be too strong, though. Outdated Science References? Something like that. Neofalsities?

[marpocky]

Outmoded is good. I've been playing with outdated. Facts may be too strong, though. Outdated Science References? Something like that. Neofalsities?

Retrocorrections?

[Bill]

Outmoded is good. I've been playing with outdated. Facts may be too strong, though. Outdated Science References? Something like that. Neofalsities?

Retrocorrections?

They'd just be regular corrections, though, right?

Updates, Misconceptions... maybe I don't need a new word.

[marpocky]

Outmoded is good. I've been playing with outdated. Facts may be too strong, though. Outdated Science References? Something like that. Neofalsities?

Retrocorrections?

They'd just be regular corrections, though, right?

Updates, Misconceptions... maybe I don't need a new word.

There's definitely something to the point that they were thought to be correct at the time. An institutional, rather than individual, mistake.