Who gives the meaning of words?

A wonderful and thought provoking question. The meanings of Words come from the people who create and speak the Words. Language is dynamic and languages are really living things. But there is a catch. This can't possibly mean that anyone can say anything and have it mean anything they want, any time. If that was the case there would be no way to use Words for reliable communication. So people do research on the way Words are used, and then they put dictionaries together to help keep language uniform. The truth is that as soon as a dictionary is sent to press, some Words somewhere are already changing. New Words are coming in, some Words are fading from use, and some Words live on, but with different meanings.

These two forces, the creating of language and the striving for uniformity of language, are always at work and always tugging at one another. They are not 'enemy' forces. They work together to keep language creative and useful.