On Thu, 22 Apr 2021 08:14:37 +0300, Opinicus
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Apr 2021 23:47:12 +0300, Anton Shepelev
wrote:

I think `air' is a legitimate and in the long term unavoid-
able word for the substance of Martial (or Martian?) atmo-
sphere. Mars already has moons, and other worlds already
have their own suns
Good point. Seeing it, I realize that it was the direction I was going
with "Geology of the Terrestrial Planets" but didn't follow it
through. "Martian geology" already turns up 28 thousand Google hits
and "Martian geography" fetches up over 10 thousand. (Alas poor
Areography I knew thee not so well as I thought.) At just 509 hits,
"Martian geophysics" is a real newcomer to the herd. Nobody seems to
fancy "Martian geomancy" just yet; however we've already got "Default
history file on front below the permafrost martian? Geomancy is a
kaffir lime leaf?", "Personally thats not martian? Geomancy is a
draw!", and "Nomad almost got blown out vein? unvariably Marty the
martian! Geomancy is a biologically healthy garden." so it can't be
far off.

In a different field there is a word that has acquired a meaning way
beyond its original sense and usage:

"vaccine"

https://www.lexico.com/definition/vaccine

noun

1 A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and
provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from
the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic
substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the
disease.
€˜there is no vaccine against the virus

Origin

Late 18th century from Latin vaccinus, from vacca €˜cow (because of
the early use of the cowpox virus against smallpox).

As far as I know there are no cows involved in the inoculants,
"vaccines", used to trigger immunity agaist Covid-19, influenza, etc.


--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)