POLYSEMY



Origin and Definition
•The expression originally comes from Greek - πολυ (poly-) - "many" and σήμα (sêma) - "sign"
•Refers to a capacity of a sign (a word, a phrase) or group of signs that can have multiple and
similar meanings
•A word can have two or more meanings

Monosemantic words
•Words which have only one meaning
•The group of monosemantic words are rare and typical especially for technical and scientific usage
•
•linoleum (also BrE informal lino) noun [U] a type of strong material with a hard shiny surface,
used for covering floors

Polysemantic words
•Words which have more than just one meaning
•Typical for the system of a particular language (not limited only for scientific and technical
usage)
•
•Nut, bank, chain, etc.

Nut
•a small hard fruit with a very hard shell that grows on some trees - hazelnut
•a small piece of metal with a hole through the centre that is screwed onto a bolt to hold pieces
of wood, machinery, etc. together:
to tighten a nut / a wheel nut
•(BrE, slang) a person’s head or brain

Synchronic polysemy
•Is the basic meaning of the word, phrase, etc.
•The meaning which is representative, typical and clearly intelligible (1st place in the
dictionary)
•
•face – obličej, book – kniha, hat – klobouk

Diachronic polysemy
•Most polysemantic words have primary and secondary meaning
•
•Table - a piece of furniture that consists of a flat top supported by legs (primary meaning)
• a list of facts or numbers arranged in a special order (secondary meaning)

List of polysemes
•Wood – the hard material that the trunk and branches of a tree are made of / an area of trees,
smaller than a forest / a heavy wooden ball used in the game of bowls
•
•Crane, man, book, bank, mole, nut, bear, string, etc.