Let’s consider a simple concept: a rock.
When we see a massive rock, we call it a “boulder.”
But if we see a small, smooth one next to a river, we’ll call it a “stone.”
Tiny rocks are “pebbles.”
Why do we use different names for the same material substance?
While each word for rock implies a rather vague size scale, that matters less than the clue it gives as to what we might do with it; for instance, we might cut a boulder to make a cornerstone for our home, skip a stone across the water, or throw the pebble at our sibling.
Different pathways of possibility unfold in our mind depending on which word we hear.
