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polysemy

American  
[pol-ee-see-mee, puh-lis-uh-mee] / ˈpɒl iˌsi mi, pəˈlɪs ə mi /

noun

  1. a condition in which a single word, phrase, or concept has more than one meaning or connotation.

polysemy British  
/ pəˈlɪsəmɪ, ˌpɒlɪˈsiːmɪ /

noun

  1. the existence of several meanings in a single word Compare monosemy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • polysemous adjective

Etymology

Origin of polysemy

First recorded in 1895–1900; from New Latin polysēmia, equivalent to Late Latin polysēm(us) “with many significations” (from Greek polýsēmos, equivalent to poly- “many” + sêm(a) “sign” + -os adjective suffix) + -ia noun suffix; poly-, -y 3

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.