Some idiot on YouTube tried to take me to task on defining the word "religion." He argued:
Number 4 how about the earlier 3 definitions DUH ?
To which I replied:
What about them? Do you not understand how a dictionary works? The definitions don't all go together at the same time.
And he replied:
No #1 is the most reliable definition, but you wish to twist this definition so as to validate a invalid point, 4 was more valid to the point you desired to make !, but that is not the definition in reality it is the 1st then in that order, that is why they list it 1st.
Which set up game, set and match for me:
No, no, NO! That is NOT how a dictionary works, you nitwit. With a word that has multiple definitions, no definition in and of itself is more or less reliable than another. What makes a definition the most reliable is the context in which you are using the word.
And if you doubt me, check out
merriam-webster[dot]com / help / dictnotes / def[dot]htm
where you will read:
'The system of separating the various senses of a word by numerals and letters is a lexical convenience. It reflects something of their semantic relationship, but it does not evaluate senses or set up a hierarchy of importance among them.'
Please stop making up stuff to support your nonsense.
That, my dear friends, is what they call a "bitchslap."
