Skip to content

The term ‘quadrilateral’ does not occur in the Wesley…

“The term ‘quadrilateral’ does not occur in the Wesley corpus – and more than once, I have regretted having coined it for contemporary use, since it has been so widely misconstrued” quote by Albert Outler
Download Open image
“The term ‘quadrilateral’ does not occur in the Wesley corpus – and more than once, I have regretted having coined it for contemporary use, since it has been so widely misconstrued”

Albert Outler

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author regrets coining a term that became widely misunderstood, illustrating how language can be misapplied over time.

In simple terms: Coined terms can be misinterpreted.

Key Takeaway

Use precise language and clarify intent.

Themes

language misinterpretation academia terminology communication

Mood

cautionary academic reflective

Type

Contemporary:0 Corpus:0 Doe:0 Has beens:0 Mathematics:0 Misconstrued:1 Term:0 Use:0 Quadrilateral:0 Term Quadrilateral:0 Quadrilateral Does:0 Widely Misconstrued:1

When to use this quote

  • education
  • writing
  • research

Key Concepts

semantic drift scholarly caution terminology evolution

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we rectify misused terminology?
  • What responsibilities do scholars have in naming?
A Different Perspective

The term may still be useful despite misuse.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Albert Outler

Explore all 2 Albert Outler quotes

More Contemporary quotes

Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes