The word "pretty"

Tharan · Post by **Tharan** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:29 pm

No, not that one. This one: "pretty good, pretty much, pretty sure"

Is that just an American thing? A Vietnamese friend of mine asked me about this the other day, and I had never thought about it before. Where did it come from? Is it a form of "very?" "Somewhat?" "more or less?" How did those descriptors get tagged with that seemingly unrelated descriptor? What's the word for the history of words; etymology? Or something like that?

It's pretty interesting, I think.

*edit*
Oops, I should have put this in Worldy Matters. Please move it, if you want.

Trevor Salyzyn · Post by **Trevor Salyzyn** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:53 pm

â€”Usage note The qualifying adverb pretty, meaning â€œfairly or moderatelyâ€ has been in general use since the late 16th century. Although most common in informal speech and writing, it is far from restricted to them, and often is less stilted than alternatives such as relatively, moderately, and quite.

Source: Dictionary.com "Pretty"

Tharan · Post by **Tharan** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 1:51 pm

Well, that's no fun.