The online Merriam WebsterВ mentions that an early meaning of the word was a вЂњproportionally distributed charge for damage at seaвЂќ with modified forms in other languages which carry a closely related meaning to the original. IвЂ™ve been thinking about this phenomenon for quite some time, but itвЂ™s only recently have I had some time to actually think much more about it, which leads me to ask about the phenomenological extent of the word, or to simply put it: DoesВ one know anything at all from this word? If so, what canВ be known and what canвЂ™t? This last question immediately begs for an answer for the question of the existence of any discrepancy between whatВ one can know from it and what it is claimed to tell one. IfВ one browses the net, a rather large number of similar examples can be found.

From my experience, whether from peopleвЂ™s speech or from articles, I have the impression that anytime some cogency is sought in an argument about people, which can be a very tricky business, a safe move, safer than blatantly using the word вЂњmostвЂќ when the totality is not even known, is to use вЂњaverage.вЂќ Let us look at some examples: in this blog, it is mentioned, вЂњIt is time the average American had a voice and here it isвЂќ on the Census Bureau website, one can read вЂњThe вЂњaverage AmericanвЂќ makes 11.7 moves in a lifetime (based upon current age structure and average rates of moving by age between 19).вЂќ Another one is вЂњThe average family of four can use 400 gallons of water every day, and, on average, approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors.вЂќ Or вЂњThere is an average of 207,754 victims (age 12 or older) of sexual assault each yearвЂќ ( ). Related to the symptomatic overuse of percentage in modern articles is the somewhat obscure use of the word вЂњaverage.вЂќ This word is usedВ in so many instances that it seems it has blended, in a rather subtle way, into the fabric of what one would call a well-informed educated opinion.

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