Glossary:Polysemy

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Polysemy

/pəˈlɪsɨmi/ or /ˈpɒlɨsiːmi/

Definition

You talk of a polysemous word when one lexeme has a lot of different but (historically) related meanings.

Examples

land: 1. some area of ground; 2. arriving somewhere in a plane or boat (consult the entry for land in the OALD for more meanings!)
power: 1. control; 2. ability to do sth.; 3. influence (see OALD)

Related terms

References

  • Bieswanger, Markus & Annette Becker. 2006. Introduction to English Linguistics (3rd edition). Tübingen and Basel: A. Francke Verlag.