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.

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polysemy British  

/ pəˈlɪsəmɪ, ˌpɒlɪˈsiːmɪ /

noun

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

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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; see poly-, -y ³

Explanation

When a symbol, word, or phrase means many different things, that's called polysemy. The verb "get" is a good example of polysemy — it can mean "procure," "become," or "understand." One of the concepts used by linguists (people who study the way languages work) is polysemy — it's an ambiguous quality that many words and phrases in English share. Generally, polysemy is distinguished from simple homonyms (where words sound alike but have different meanings) by etymology. Polysemous words almost always share the same origin or root. Speaking of etymology, polysemy comes from Greek, in which it means "of many senses."

Related Words

• doubt
• uncertainty
• vagueness