I know the root meanings of the components of the word "photograph" as well as everyone else on this board, andI know that they were used historically to produce a label for the medium. But while they described how photographic images were made early on, the term was not coined as a means to circumscribe what the medium could do or be in the future, but simply to describe how it was done early on.
Even a cursory look at language evolution — the etymology of words — demonstrates how words evolve way beyond and outside of their original meanings.
Look up "sonata de camera" for a slightly relevant example. And before you point out that film cameras included a "chamber," consider that going there would imply that those things inside smart phones are not "cameras." For another fun example, trace the meaning of "violin." And check out the etymology of the word "music..."
Etymologists might also find the following statement ironic: "That is a covered Wagon, not a car!"
Or, You'd don't 'ship' packages, you transport them!"And you logically cannot "sail" a steamship," right?
Dude? Cool? Far out! 6 7. is that a "drive" in your computer? ;-)
I love language and I love understanding how it evolved. But trying limit a contemporary medium by claiming that the word invented to describe a very different version of it a couple of centuries ago is a lost cause and, honestly, pretty irrelevant.
Jan 13, 2026 at 01:55 PM
Previous versions of gdanmitchell's message #16966482 « from a photograph to an image »
