We all have a relation to the word parent, in one way or another. We all know what it means and use it frequently. But do we really know what it means? Does the fact that parent is a common-knowledge word also mean that we all think of the same entity when we talk about a parent, and that we can take for granted that my sense of the word is the same as yours, in discourse? Is it also safe and correct to presume that my understanding of the word, in modern-day, 21st century society, is the same as that of someone who lived 200 years ago in a world that was much unlike our own? When I read books, articles or other material that is much older than myself, can I again assume
that my understanding of parent is the same as the author intended?