POLYSEMY

SHORT
DEFINITION
Polysemy is a linguistic term
that refers to the capacity of
a sign, such as a symbol, a
morpheme, a word, or a
phrase, to have multiple
related meanings.
Polysemous words almost always share the same
origin or root, and they are not to be confused with
homonyms or homophones, which are words that
sound alike but have different meanings, In
determining whether a given set of meanings
represents polysemy or homonymy, it is often
necessary to look at the history of the word to see
whether the two meanings are historically related.
Polysemy is pervasive in natural language and is an
essential aspect of language richness and flexibility.
The fact that context can determine the specific
meaning of a polysemous word illustrates the dynamic
nature of language, Polysemy is commonly
encountered in everyday language, and it is an
important concept for linguists who study the way
languages work.
 EXAMPLE
The word "serve" is also a good example of a
polysemous word, as it has different senses, but all
imply the same meaning of "giving service", Other
examples of polysemous words include "get"
(receive, bring, move/travel), "bank" (of a
river/canal, a place to deposit money, a slope), and
"light" (of colors, not heavy, a source of illumination)