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What is a word or phrase that can mean more than one thing?
Polysemy (/pəˈlɪsɪmi/ or /ˈpɒlɪsiːmi/; from Greek: πολύ-, polý-, “many” and σῆμα, sêma, “sign”) is the capacity for a word or phrase to have multiple related meanings. Dictionary writers often list polysemes under the same entry; homonyms are defined separately.
What words have the most meanings?
According to Guinness World Records, the word that has the most meanings in the English language is the verb “set.” “Set” has 430 senses listed in the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which was published in 1989.
When two words are spelled the same with different meanings?
HOMOGRAPHS are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Heteronyms are a type of homograph that are also spelled the same and have different meanings, but sound different. WORDS THAT BOTH SOUND THE SAME AND ARE SPELLED THE SAME are both homonyms (same sound) and homographs (same spelling).
What is it called when you find the exact meaning of a word or phrase based on its dictionary definition?
The denotation of a word or phrase is its explicit or direct meaning. The connotation of a word or phrase is the associated or secondary meaning; it can be something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described.
How do you use the word describe?
1 : to represent or give an account of in words describe a picture The police asked her to describe the thief. There were so many things he wanted to describe …— James Joyce. 2 : to represent by a figure, model, or picture : delineate described in her paintings what she saw from her window.
Are there any English words that have multiple meanings?
But its actually way more, if you consider that many words have multiple meanings. In English we often use words that sound exactly the same to express totally different concepts, these are called homophones.
What does it mean when a word has different meanings?
Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings. It’s tricky when words sound the same but can mean different things. This is where context clues come into play. Even though one word can morph into multiple meanings, the rest of the sentence should give you an idea of what’s being discussed.
What’s the difference between a homonym and a homograph?
It’s common for words to have slightly varying meanings, but the meanings of homonyms and homographs differ in substantive ways. Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings. It’s tricky when words sound the same but can mean different things.
Where does the word double entendre come from?
Double entendre, in fact, originated in an obsolete expression in French, which means “double meaning.” The origins of pun are less certain, but it likely traces to the Italian word puntiglio meaning “fine point, quibble.” In English, double entendre refers to a double meaning in which one meaning is usually shocking or risqué in its sexual