Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [pol-ee-see-mee, puh-lis-uh-mee]
- /ˈpɒl iˌsi mi, pəˈlɪs ə mi/
- /pəˈlɪs.ɪ.məs/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [pol-ee-see-mee, puh-lis-uh-mee]
- /ˈpɒl iˌsi mi, pəˈlɪs ə mi/
Definition of polysemous word
- noun polysemous a condition in which a single word, phrase, or concept has more than one meaning or connotation. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of polysemous
First appearance:
before 1895 One of the 18% newest English words
1895-1900; < New Latin polysēmia, equivalent to Late Latin polysēm(us) with many significations (< Greek polýsēmos, equivalent to poly- poly- + sêm(a) sign + -os adj. suffix) + -ia -y3
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Polysemous
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
polysemous popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 68% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.
polysemous usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for polysemous
adj polysemous
- ambiguous — If you describe something as ambiguous, you mean that it is unclear or confusing because it can be understood in more than one way.
- multivocal — having many or different meanings of equal probability or validity: a multivocal word.
adjective polysemous
- enigmatical — Pertaining to an enigma.
Top questions with polysemous
- what does polysemous mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with p
- Words starting with po
- Words starting with pol
- Words starting with poly
- Words starting with polys
- Words starting with polyse
- Words starting with polysem
- Words starting with polysemo
- Words starting with polysemou
- Words starting with polysemous