So I just managed to put into words one of the frustrations I've had with discourse and discussion for a while now, and that's the unfortunate assumption that words mean something.

This isn't entirely wrong, per se, but it is subject to a lot of disclaimers and limitations. Words mean a great many things to a great many different people at different times, or even many different things to the same person at the same time. Worse yet, these definitions are often fluid enough that people will slip between them as convenient. Which is great for them, I guess, but not so great for actually discussing anything. :/