Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An
Australian swan whose feathers are black. - noun An occurrence believed impossible or not to exist.
- noun An occurrence believed impossible or not to exist, subsequently shown to exist.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun large Australian swan having black plumage and a red bill
Etymologies
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Examples
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sionnach commented on the word black swan
In Nassim Nicholas Taleb's definition, a black swan is a large-impact, hard-to-predict, and rare event beyond the realm of normal expectations.
The term black swan comes from the ancient Western conception that all swans were white in color. In that context, a black swan was a metaphor for something that could not exist. The 17th Century discovery of black swans in Australia metamorphosed the term to connote that the perceived impossibility actually came to pass.
The term was introduced by Karl Popper in the context of the falsifiability of the statement "All swans are white".
October 17, 2007
reesetee commented on the word black swan
Interesting, sionnach. I never knew this.
And by the way, black swans are lovely.
October 17, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word black swan
I think the presence of black swans in Australia also was taken as further evidence of Australia being literally the antipodes--in the sense of being completely backward/opposite from everything Europeans had "known." At least, they were still talking about that 20 years ago in Australia (maybe they're over it by now?)....
October 17, 2007
reesetee commented on the word black swan
Ooh, yeah. True! I'd never connected the two.
October 17, 2007
bilby commented on the word black swan
All swans are black.
October 12, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word black swan
"When asked about his father-in-law President Donald Trump, Kushner told CNN's Van Jones: "He's a black swan. He's been a black swan all his life.""
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jared_Kushner&oldid=898710548
June 3, 2019
bilby commented on the word black swan
The new meaning of black swan is utter dickhead?
June 3, 2019