Change
Hope or threat depending on what you have to lose.
How We Say It
CHAYNJ (common)
CHAY·unj (Southern U.S.)
CHAY·unj (Southern U.S.)
Where It Comes From
Old French changier — to alter, exchange. From Late Latin cambiare — to barter. Originally economic before it became existential.
How It's Been Used
'Change' became a political slogan in the 20th century — promising something without specifying what. Obama's 2008 campaign made it explicit. The word is nearly meaningless without context; its power comes from what the listener projects onto it.