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Polysemy (/ pəˈlɪsɪmi / or / ˈpɒlɪˌsiːmi /; [1][2] from Ancient Greek πολύ- (polý-) 'many' and σῆμα (sêma) 'sign') is the capacity for a sign (e.g. a symbol, a morpheme, a word, or a phrase) to have multiple related meanings. For example, a word can have several word senses. [3] Polysemy is distinct from monosemy, where a ...
Homonym. In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either homographs —words that have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation)—or homophones —words that have the same pronunciation (regardless of spelling)—or both. [1] Using this definition, the words row (propel with oars), row (a linear arrangement) and row (an argument) are ...
a measured plot of land; a portion of land set for a particular purpose ("a building lot"), e.g. for parking ("parking lot") or selling ("used car lot") automotive vehicles. But also a "vacant lot" a film studio. lounge. a room for relaxation and entertainment in a house (lounge bar) part of a pub.
One systematic case appears in the stress pattern of some deverbal nouns. Many of these words have the same origin, and similar meanings, and are essentially the same word. True heteronyms require the two words to be completely unrelated, which is a rare occurrence. For a longer list, see wikt:Category:English heteronyms.
An ambigram is a calligraphic composition of glyphs (letters, numbers, symbols or other shapes) that can yield different meanings depending on the orientation of observation. [ 2 ][ 3 ] Most ambigrams are visual palindromes that rely on some kind of symmetry, and they can often be interpreted as visual puns. [ 4 ]
Doublets are pairs of words in the same language which are derived from a single etymon, which may have similar but distinct meanings and uses. Often, one is a loanword and the other is the native form, or they have developed in different dialects and then found themselves together in a modern standard language.
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau [a] —is a word formed, usually intentionally, by combining the sounds and meanings of two or more words. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] English examples include smog , coined by blending smoke and fog , [ 3 ] [ 5 ] as well as motel , from motor ( motorist ) and hotel . [ 6 ]
Doublet (linguistics) In etymology, two or more words in the same language are called doublets or etymological twins or twinlings (or possibly triplets, and so forth) when they have different phonological forms but the same etymological root. Often, but not always, the words entered the language through different routes.