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Glite Dictionary
polysemant

polysemant

9.9
A word with more than one meaning
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒlɪˌsiːmənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polisémico
  • The word 'bank' is a classic polysemant, referring to both a financial institution and the land beside a river.

Examples

  • A polysemant like 'bank' can mean a financial institution or the side of a river.

  • Teachers often use examples of a polysemant to illustrate the complexity of English vocabulary.

  • In linguistic studies, identifying a polysemant can reveal the evolution of language and meaning.

  • The word polysemant can refer to multiple meanings.

  • In linguistic studies, identifying a polysemant can reveal the evolution of language and meaning.

  • Teachers often use examples of a polysemant to illustrate the complexity of English vocabulary.

  • A polysemant is a word that has distinct meanings depending on the context.

Synonyms

polysemous word
vspolysemant
  • Specialized
7.7

A word that has more than one meaning

is equal in meaning but uses different phrasing and punctuation
polysemantic word
vspolysemant
  • Specialized
7.7

A word that has more than one meaning

is the same in meaning but is phrased with a semicolon and repetition

How Polysemous

polysemant
  • Specialized
9.9
monosemy
  • Jargon
9.9

Surface Forms

polysemant singular
polysemants plural

Morphology

polysemant = poly + semant

The word uses the productive prefix poly- meaning 'many', but its remaining stem semant- is a bound classical form rather than a familiar standalone English word, so the meaning is not readily recoverable for most learners.

Etymology

The word polysemant breaks into poly- meaning 'many' and -semant meaning 'meaning', and the poly- part is the same 'many' you see in polyglot or polygon. So a polysemant is a word that has many meanings, for example 'bank' which can be a place for money or the side of a river.