polysemy (n.)

"fact of having multiple meanings," 1900, from French polysémie (1897), from Medieval Latin polysemus, from Greek polysemos "of many senses or meanings," from polys "many" (from PIE root *pele- (1) "to fill") + sema "sign" (see semantic). Related: Polysemic.

Entries linking to polysemy

*pele- (1)

*pelə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to fill," with derivatives referring to abundance and multitude.

It forms all or part of: accomplish; complete; compliment; comply; depletion; expletive; fele; fill; folk; full (adj.); gefilte fish; hoi polloi; implement; manipulation; nonplus; plebe; plebeian; plebiscite; pleiotropy; Pleistocene; plenary; plenitude; plenty; plenum; plenipotentiary; pleo-; pleonasm; plethora; Pliocene; pluperfect; plural; pluri-; plus; Pollux; poly-; polyamorous; polyandrous; polyclinic; polydactyl; polydipsia; Polydorus; polyethylene; polyglot; polygon; polygraph; polygyny; polyhedron; polyhistor; polymath; polymer; polymorphous; Polynesia; polyp; Polyphemus; polyphony; polysemy; polysyllabic; polytheism; replenish; replete; supply; surplus; volkslied.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit purvi "much," prayah "mostly;" Avestan perena-, Old Persian paru "much;" Greek polys "much, many," plethos "people, multitude, great number," ploutos "wealth;" Latin plus "more," plenus "full;" Lithuanian pilus "full, abundant;" Old Church Slavonic plunu; Gothic filu "much," Old Norse fjöl-, Old English fela, feola "much, many;" Old English folgian; Old Irish lan, Welsh llawn "full;" Old Irish il, Welsh elu "much."

semantic (adj.)

1894, from French sémantique, applied by Michel Bréal (1883) to the psychology of language, from Greek semantikos "significant," from semainein "to show by sign, signify, point out, indicate by a sign," from sema "sign, mark, token; omen, portent; constellation; grave" (Doric sama), from PIE root *dheie- "to see, look" (source also of Sanskrit dhyati "he meditates;" see zen).

polysemous (adj.)

"having many meanings, polysemic," 1884, from Medieval Latin polysemus, from Greek polysemos "of many senses or meanings" (see polysemy).

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Definitions of polysemy

polysemy (n.)

the ambiguity of an individual word or phrase that can be used (in different contexts) to express two or more different meanings;

Synonyms: lexical ambiguity

From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near polysemy

polyphony

polyploidy

polyrhythm

polyrhythmic

polysemous

polysemy

polystyrene

polysyllabic

polysyllable

polysymmetrical

polysynthesis