5.1. Polysemantic
and monosemantic words. Classification
5.2. Diachronic
approach to polysemy.
5.3. Synchronic
approach to polysemy.
5.4. The
semantic structure of correlated words in English and Russian.
5.5. The
national character of the semantic structure.
5.1.
Polysemy
is the ability of words to have more than one meaning. A word with
several meanings is called polysemantic.
Monosemantic
words, which have only one meaning, are comparatively few; they are
mainly scientific terms (e.g. hydrogen) or rare words (e.g.
flamingo).
The bulk of English words are
polysemantic. All the meanings of a polysemantic word make up a
system which is called the semantic structure of the word.
e.g. The
word TABLE
has the semantic structure made up of at least 9 meanings:
-
piece of furniture;
-
the persons seated at a
table; -
(sing.) food put on the
table; -
a thin flat piece of
stone, metal, wood, etc.; -
(pl.) slabs of stone;
-
words cut into them or
written on them (the Ten Tables); -
an orderly arrangement of
facts, figures, etc.; -
part of a machine tool on
which work is put; -
a level area, a plateau.
5.2. Polysemy
can be viewed diachronically
and synchronically.
The system of meanings of a
polysemantic word develops gradually, mostly over centuries, as new
meanings are added to old ones or oust some of them. As a result, the
total number of meanings grows, and the vocabulary is enriched.
Thus,
polysemy
viewed diachronically
is a historic change in the semantic structure of a word that results
in disappearance of some meanings and appearance of new meanings, and
also in the rearrangement of the meanings in the semantic structure.
Diachronically,
we distinguish between the
primary meaning
and secondary
meanings
of a word.
The
primary meaning
is the oldest meaning of the word, its original meaning with which
the word first appeared in the language,
e.g. the
primary meaning of TABLE
is «slabs of stone»: O.E. tabule f. Lat tabula.
All the other meanings
appeared later than the primary meaning.
When we
describe a meaning as secondary
we imply that it can’t have appeared before the primary meaning; when
we say a meaning is derived we imply not only that but also that it
is dependent on another meaning and subordinate to it,
e.g. TABLE
1,2,3 are secondary, appeared later than TABLE 5;
TABLE 2, 3 are derived from
TABLE 1.
The main
source of polysemy is semantic
derivation
(radiation of meanings; adding new meanings to the existing ones).
Polysemy
may also result from homonymy.
When two words coincide in sound-form, their meanings come to be felt
as making up one semantic structure.
e.g. the
human EAR
(f. Lat auris) and the EAR
of corn
(f. Lat acus, aceris) diachronically are homonyms. Synchronically,
however, they are perceived as two meanings of one polysemantic word
ear. The ear of corn is felt to be a metaphoric meaning (Of.: the eye
of a needle, the foot of the mountain) and thus, as a derived meaning
of the word. Cases of this type are comparatively rare.
5.3.
Viewed
synchronically,
polysemy is understood as co-existence of several meanings of the
same word and their arrangement in the semantic structure.
The status
of individual meanings is not the same. We distinguish between the
central (=basic, major) meaning
and minor
meanings.
How do we determine which
meaning is the basic one?
(1) The basic meaning occurs
in various and widely different contexts. It is representative of the
word taken in isolation, i.e. it occurs to us when we hear/see the
word in isolation; that is why it is called a free meaning.
e.g. the
central meaning of TABLE is «a piece of furniture» Minor
meanings occur only in specific contexts,
e.g. to
keep the table amused (TABLE 2) or the table of contents (TABLE 7).
(2) The basic meaning has the
highest frequency in speech,
e.g. TABLE
1 has the highest frequency value and makes up 52% of all the uses of
the word; TABLE 7 accounts for 35%; all the other meanings between
them make up just 13% of all the uses.
(3) The basic meaning is
usually stylistically neutral and minor meanings are as a rule
stylistically coloured,
e.g.
YELLOW
1) coloured like egg yoke or gold (neutral),
2) sensational (Am slang),
3) cowardly (coll).
Synchronically,
we also distinguish between direct
meanings
and figurative
(transferred) meanings,
e.g. YELLOW 4) (fig) (of
looks, mood, feelings, etc.) jealous, envious, suspicious.
We should note that a word may
have two or more central meanings,
e.g. GET
«obtain» and «arrive» are equally central in the
semantic structure.
As the semantic structure of a
word is never static, the status (type) of its meanings may change in
the course of time. The primary meaning may become a minor one; a
secondary meaning may become the central meaning of a word.
e.g. The
primary meaning of QUICK
is «living»; it is still retained in the semantic structure
but has become a minor meaning which occurs only in some expressions:
to touch/ wound to the quick, the quick and the dead; «rapid,
fast» has become the central meaning.
5.4.
Words of different languages are said to be correlated when their
central meanings coincide,
e.g. table
– cтол
«piece of furniture».
But there
is practically no one-to-one correspondence between the semantic
structures of correlated polysemantic words of different languages.
The relations between correlated words are quite complicated, and we
may single out the following cases (and show them graphically).
The semantic structures of two
correlated words may coincide; usually they are monosemantic words,
e.g.
flamingo.
W
e
can show this relationship like this: two overlapping circles.
If the
number of meanings is different, the semantic structure of one word
may include that of its correlate it is the relationship of
inclusion,
e.g.
MEETING
1) a gathering of people for a purpose
2
)
the people in such a gathering
3) the coming together of
two or more people, by chance or arrangement
МИТИНГ
a (political) gathering of a number of people».
Some meanings of two
correlated words may coincide and the others don’t. This is the
relationship of intersection.
e
.g.
BOY МАЛЬЧИК
1) male child 1) male
child,
-
young man 2) apprentice
(obs.), -
male native servant,
-
junior sailor.
5.5.
All lexical meanings of a polysemantic word are interconnected.
The relations beween them are based on various logical and
psychological associations. Some of these relations are common to all
or to many languages; others are peculiar to a particular language.
Thus, a semantic structure has a national character (some specific
characteristics).
Relations
that
are common to all/most languages are:
1)
metaphorical
relations,
e.g ass
1
«animal»
— осёл
1
«animal»,
ass 2
(fig)
«stupid person» — осёл2
«person».
2)
metonymic
relations,
e.g. table
1
«piece of furniture» — стол
1
«piece of furniture»,
table 3
«food«
– стол
3
«food
put on (1)
«.
Relations
typical of English, but not of Russian are:
1.
One and the same English verb may have both transitive and
intransitive meanings in its semantic structure,
e.g. Paper
burns easily. (intr)
Cf.:
гореть,
She burnt his letters, (tr)
жечь.
2. One
word has countable and uncountable, concrete and abstract meanings,
e.g. his
love of painting Сf.:живопись
— the
paintings on the wall картина,
coal — a coal, hair — a
hair.
3. In the same semantic
structure we find individual and collective meanings,
e.g.
YOUTH 1) young people collectively Сf.: молодежь,
-
a young man – юноша,
-
the
state of being young — юность.
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Many English words have multiple meanings. This means that the same word, with the same spelling and pronunciation may have more than one meaning. Sometimes the meanings may be very different. This can be confusing for people learning English. You may wonder,” How do I know what the meaning is?” The best way is rely on context, illustrations, or diagrams in the text. However, if you still are not sure of the meaning, look it up. A dictionary will tell you all the meanings of any word. This posting cannot discuss every word with multiple meanings. There are simply too many of them. In this posting, however, I talk about 25 common words with multiple meanings. These are word you may see and hear in your daily life. I show you parts of speech, definitions, and example sentences for each meaning of each word.The download at the end will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.
Here is the free English video lesson I taught on YouTube:
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of our lessons and get the latest videos right away!
You can download the practice sheet NOW!
Below is a list of common words with multiple meanings.
B
- bank
2. bark
3. bill
4. break
5. bug
C
6. charge
7. company
8. current
D-H
9. date
10. fair
11. fast
12. fly
13. hit
J-N
14. jam
15. left
16. mine
17. nail
P-R
18. patient
19. pool
20. pupil
21. run
S-T
22. season
23. set
24. take
25. turn
You now know many common English words with multiple meanings. Often you can guess the meaning of the word through context. If that is not helpful, however, don’t hesitate to look the word up. The download will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.
You can download the practice sheet NOW!
Idioms of the day
- no picnic–This means something is difficult and not pleasant. I’m glad I moved, but making all the preparations was no picnic.
- turn a blind eye to–This means to not notice a very obvious problem. Her husband comes home drunk every night, but she turns a blind eye to his problems. She insists that he’s not an alcoholic.
By
Last updated:
January 31, 2022
Once upon a time, there was a fair boy at the fair, and he was really fair!
There was also a bat flying around a bat, a friend of mine in a mine and a man with a bow bowing to an audience.
Welcome to the Polysemy (when a single word or phrase has multiple meanings) Fair where nothing is what it seems, and words get crazy different meanings just for the sake of fun.
But before you come in, you have to tell me what homophones, homographs and homonyms are.
If you do not know what they are (or even if you do!), you had better read this post before you enter the Fair unprepared and get lost forever!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
What Are Homophones, Homographs and Homonyms?
They may sound dangerous and creepy, but homophones, homographs and homonyms are part of our daily life, regardless of what your mother language is.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings.
When you say “I have only one eye,” however weird that sentence might sound, the words I and eye sound exactly the same, but they obviously have different meanings.
The same happens with words such as break and brake, here and hear or hour and our, just to give you a few examples.
On the other hand, homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations.
Take the verb read as an example.
The infinitive is pronounced /ri:d/ (with a long i), but the past tense and the past participle are pronounced /red/, as in the color red. They are written in the exact same way, but their pronunciations are different.
Finally, we have homonyms. They are words that either sound or are spelled identically but have different meanings.
Homonyms can be homophones, homographs or both, so to make things easy for you, we will be calling this post’s words homonyms unless stated otherwise.
Every language has homonyms, and language learners tend to have a rough time when trying to learn them.
Let’s have a look at the title of this post: The fair boy at the fair is really fair.
If it is the first time you have seen the word fair, you are probably having a language heart attack right now.
If you have seen this word before, though, you most likely know its meaning as a noun (funfair, carnival). But what about the other two? Keep reading!
There are several methods to learn the different meanings of words. You can look them up (search) in a dictionary, check an online translator or even ask a friend if they are around and able to help you.
From Fairs to Novels: 21 Everyday English Words with Multiple Meanings
The following 21 words are common English words that have different meanings and/or pronunciations. They can be a little tricky sometimes, but thanks to this post, you will be able to master them in no time. So, let the fun begin!
1. Fair
As you have already seen in the introduction, this word can have different meanings depending on whether it is a noun or an adjective. You know its meaning as a noun, and you probably also know one of its meanings as an adjective, but I am sure you would have never thought a carnival and a hair/skin color were spelled the same in English.
Meaning #1: a carnival; a public event where there are games, competitions, rides and entertainment
Also, in the United States, a fair is an event where farm products and animals are shown and judged.
The boy showed his horse and his two pigs at the state fair.
Meaning #2: treating someone right or in a way that does not favor other people
The boy at the fair is very fair with his siblings when they play games together.
Meaning #3: having light skin and/or hair
The fair boy at the fair is very fair with his siblings.
Since her skin is so fair, she has to be careful when she goes in the sun.
2. Saw
You probably know this word as the past tense of the verb to see, but did you know it can also be a tool and the infinitive of another verb?
Saw comes from the Old English word saga (to cut), but also from the Middle English word sawen (knife), hence its different meanings nowadays.
Meaning #1: a device or tool with sharp teeth, typically made of metal
He used a saw to cut the branch of the tree.
Meaning #2: to saw, to cut with a saw
He is going to saw the tree down with a saw.
Meaning #3: past tense of the verb to see.
I saw the saw he used to saw the tree down.
3. Fell
Now this one’s tricky.
A lot of my beginner students think this is the past tense of to feel, but actually it is the past tense of the verb to fall. What not many non-native speakers know is that it can also be the infinitive form of a different verb, and also a formal adjective!
Meaning 1: past tense of the verb to fall
The girl fell on the floor and started crying.
Meaning #2: to fell, to knock or cut down, to cause to fall
He used an ax to fell the tree.
Meaning #3: (formal) fierce, cruel, savage
He was imprisoned by his fell enemy.
4. Found
This word is another example of the past tense of a verb that is also the infinitive of a different verb.
Meaning #1: past tense and past participle of the verb to find (to come upon by chance, to locate)
I found a lot of old books in the attic yesterday.
Meaning #2: to found, to set up or establish, to base on, to provide a basis for
We want to found a new translation company.
5. Bow
Bow is a word that can have several different meanings. It is a homograph because the pronunciation is slightly different between the noun and verb form. As a noun, for example, you can wear one around your neck or use one to attack someone. As a verb, you can use it to show respect.
Don’t you love English!
Meaning #1: to bow, to bend forward at the neck or waist in order to greet someone or show respect
We must all bow before the queen.
Meaning #2: a knot made by tying a ribbon into two or more loops, often referred to as bow tie
He is wearing a green bow tie.
Meaning #3: a weapon used for shooting arrows
The hunter had a bow and many arrows.
6. Crane
I still remember when I learned this word myself. I imagined a giant machine that transformed into a bird. I have never forgotten this word!
Meaning #1: a big machine with a long arm used by builders to lift or move big objects
I think we are going to need a crane to lift that statue.
Meaning #2: a tall bird that has a long neck and long legs; it lives near water
It is impossible to observe (see) a crane here. There is no water around.
7. Date
This is an easy one.
If you are a romantic person, this word will probably make you think of special occasions with a partner. If time is important for you, you will see a date as a day on a calendar. Both options are correct, but there is more!
Meaning #1: a specific day of a month or year
What is the date today?
Meaning #2: a situation where two people who have or want to have a romantic relationship do some activity together
I would love to go on a date with you.
Meaning #3: the person you go on a date with
Mary is my date for tonight.
Meaning #4: to date someone, to do some kind of activity with a person you have or want to have a romantic relationship with.
Mary and I are dating.
Meaning #5: to date something, to write the date on something
Please, do not forget to sign and date your exam.
8. Minute
Here we have a homograph. Minute is pronounced /minit/ when it refers to time. It can also refer to size, in which case it is pronounced /mai’niut/.
Meaning #1: a unit of time equal to 60 seconds
We have been waiting for 20 minutes.
Meaning #2: always in the plural (minutes), the official record of everything that is said and done during a meeting
Ms. Roche will be taking the minutes during the meeting.
Meaning #3: an adjective meaning tiny, very small
With this new device, we are able to see even the most minute particles.
9. Second
If you are interested in etymology (study of words), you will like this word!
Second has two main meanings, one referring to time and one referring to something or someone coming after first. I was surprised to find out both these meanings come from the same Latin word secundus (following, next in time or order).
Apart from being a noun, second can also be a verb.
In this case, the origin of the word is from the Latin word secundare (to assist, to make favorable).
Meaning #1: occupies the second position in a series, importance or rank
Soup is my second choice.
Meaning #2: (always plural) another serving of food taken after you have finished the first one
Do you want seconds?
Meaning #3: a unit of time equal to 1/60 of a minute
It took him 35 seconds to open the box.
Meaning #4: to second, to approve something, to agree with somebody
I am tired. Let’s go home.
I will second that.
10. Type
They say that everyone has a type, but what exactly does that mean?
You can type in different kinds of types, enjoy different types of food and have different types in reference to people. It all depends on the meaning of type you are referring to.
Meaning #1: a particular kind of thing or person
I do not like this type of food. It is too greasy.
Meaning #2: the kind of person someone likes
Bea is totally my type.
Meaning #3: the different kinds of printed letters
Please, do not use the italic type. Use bold.
Meaning #4: to type, to write with a typewriter or a computer keyboard
I can type 200 words per minute.
11. Nail
Every time I hear the word nail, I think about the program “Nailed it!,” which I really recommend you watch if you love cooking and comedy, and you want to listen to some American English to improve your language skills.
Meaning #1: a piece of metal that is sharp at one end and flat at the other, usually used to attach things to wood
I used the biggest nail I had to hang the picture frame.
Meaning #2: the hard covering at the end of our fingers and toes
Sarah gets her nails painted every Tuesday.
Meaning #3: to nail, to attach something with a nail
We need to nail those boards.
Meaning #4: (slang) to nail, to do something perfectly or in an impressive way
I nailed the final test. I am so proud of myself!
12. Bark
What do dogs and trees have in common? Dogs bark and trees have bark!
I find it very interesting that a tree’s bark and to bark come from different origin words.
The hard covering of plants probably comes from the Old Norse word börkr (bark, likely related to the word birch). The sound dogs make comes from the Old English word beorcan (to bark, to utter an abrupt, explosive cry).
Meaning #1: the outer covering of a tree
Some types of bark are very beautiful.
Meaning #2: the loud sound made by a dog
His dog gave a very loud bark.
Meaning #3: to bark (from a dog or a person), to make a short loud sound
If her dog does not stop barking, I will call the police.
Stop barking at me and try to calm down.
13. Mine
If I tell you I like to mine in this mine because it is mine, you may or may not understand what I am saying, but you will after you have a look at the following meanings of the word mine.
Meaning #1: that which belongs to me
I like to mine in this mine because it is mine.
The blue bike is mine.
Meaning #2: a tunnel from which minerals are taken
I like to mine in this mine because it is mine.
He works in a gold mine.
Meaning #3: to mine, to dig a mine or to take away from a mine
I like to mine in this mine because it is mine.
She likes to mine for crystals.
14. Season
Even though the two main meanings of the word season do not seem to be related, they have an almost common ancestor, and once you understand its origin, it totally makes sense.
Season comes from the Old French word seison (a period of the year, proper time).
To season comes from the Old French word assaisoner (to ripen, to improve the flavor of).
These two Old French words are related. When the time was right (seison), fruits and vegetables grew ripe (assaisoner), which made them more palatable (tasty). Neat!
Meaning #1: one of the four periods into which the year is divided; a particular period of time during the year.
My favorite season is winter.
It is flu season.
Meaning #2: to season, to add salt, pepper or other spices to give something more flavor
Season to taste and serve hot.
15. Bat
Did you know that Batman got his name from an animal? Have you ever seen Batman use a bat to bat someone? No, not the animal, the stick!
Notice how, similarly to nail with a nail, you can say to bat with a bat. Do you see a pattern already?
Meaning #1: a long rounded stick used to hit a ball
Mendoza gave me his baseball bat.
Meaning #2: to hit with a bat
I want to bat next.
Meaning #3: an animal with wings and a furry body
I am afraid of bats.
16. Row
The main meaning of this word is a line of people or things that are next to each other.
Additionally, row can also be a verb that means to move a boat through the water with the use of oars.
Meaning #1: a straight line of people or things that are next to each other; a row of seats (in a theater or stadium).
We are going to arrange the desks in five rows of six desks each.
Meaning #2: to row, to move a boat through water by using oars
I like to row my boat in the calm lake.
17. Water
I love looking at my students’ faces when I tell them that water can be a verb.
Indeed, as it happens with many words in English, nouns can be used as verbs. In this case, the noun water, which we all know, can be used to mean to pour water on something, as on a plant, for example.
Meaning #1: a clear liquid with no color, smell or taste that falls from clouds in the form of rain, forms seas and lakes and is used for drinking, bathing, washing, etc.
I love drinking water in the morning.
Meaning #2: to water, to pour water on something; to give an animal water to drink
Please, water my plants while I am in Spain.
18. Boot
Some of us know the verb to boot means to start a computer.
British people call the trunk of a car a boot, and Americans often use this word when talking about cowboy boots.
But there is more you can learn about this word.
Meaning #1: a covering for the foot normally made of leather or rubber
I cannot find my winter boots anywhere.
Meaning #2: the trunk of a car
They found the missing money in the boot of his car.
Meaning #3: to boot, to force to leave a place; to fire
They booted James yesterday!
Meaning #4: to boot, to lock a Denver boot onto the wheel of a car so that it cannot move.
The parking attendant booted my car.
19. Club
Club has several meanings, ranging from a group of people who participate in a specific activity to a place where you can listen to music, eat some food and drink alcohol.
Other meanings include a metal stick used in golf, a wooden stick used as a weapon and even a suit in a deck of cards! That is polysemy at its finest!
Meaning #1: a group of people who meet to participate in an activity
The chess club has 200 members already.
Meaning #2: the place where members of a club meet
I will meet you in front of the chess club at 7 p.m.
Meaning #3: a business that provides entertainment, music, food, drinks, etc.
They are opening a new dance club near your house next weekend.
Meaning #4: a metal stick used for hitting a golf ball
My daughter is using my golf clubs. Can I borrow yours?
Meaning #5: a heavy wooden stick that is used as a weapon
One of the attackers hit me with a club.
Meaning #6: (plural) one of the suits in a deck of playing cards
I got the ten of clubs.
Meaning #7: to club, to hit a person or an animal with a stick or object
He clubbed the poisonous snake in his bedroom.
20. Key
What if I told you that the main definition of the word key is just one of over a dozen?
Do not panic, I will not make you learn all the different meanings of key, but it would be awesome if you learned the main ones.
Meaning #1: a device you use to open a lock or start a car
I think I have lost my keys.
Meaning #2: something that is necessary to do or achieve something
The key to learning English is practicing every day.
Meaning #3: any of the buttons of a typewriter or computer
I love typing without looking at the keys.
Meaning #4: used as an adjective to mean extremely important
He is a key worker in our company.
Meaning #5: (informal) to key, to have the most important part in something
Marcus keyed the victory for the Eagles.
21. Novel
We normally think of books when we hear the word novel, but novel can also be used as an adjective to mean that something is new and different.
Meaning #1: a long written story, normally dealing with imaginary people and events
I have published five novels so far.
Meaning #2: new and different from what has been known before
His novel approach to the problem helped us find a solution.
Phew! There you have it, 21 everyday English words with multiple meanings!
My advice is that you learn all the different meanings of a word at once when you are acquiring (learning) new vocabulary (or expanding your word bank).
If a word is very polysemic, at least learn its main meanings. This will save you time when you come across that word again in the future.
As you have been able to see in this post, by learning just one of the meanings of a word you are leaving a lot of information behind. In order to avoid that, one of the best solutions is to spend a little more time with each word you learn.
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Polysemous English words — Wall Street English. There are many English words that are pronounced and spelled exactly the same, but have completely different meanings. … But you get a double benefit, as marketers would say: several new English words at once to replenish the vocabulary for the price of one.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the English word with the most meanings is set. It has 430 values. Here we will look at common examples of the meanings of ambiguous English words.
What words in English have multiple meanings?
And in order to read articles in English on your own and not feel discomfort, come to study at Skyeng.
- Run: 645 values …
- Set: 430 values …
- Go: 368 values …
- Take: 343 values …
- Stand: 334 values …
- Get: 289 values …
- Turn: 288 values …
- Put: 268 values
Why does one word have many meanings in English?
The English language is notable for the fact that a large number of words are polysemous. The linguistic name for this phenomenon is ‘polysemy’: from the Greek words ‘poly’ — ‘many’ and ‘sema’ — ‘meaning’. This very polysemy leads to our mistakes, misunderstanding and misinterpretation. … Their different meanings do not surprise us at all.
What’s the longest word in the English language?
The longest word found in the main dictionaries of the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which means lung disease from the inhalation of very small silica particles of volcanic ash; from a medical point of view, the disease is similar to that of silicosis.
What are unambiguous example words?
In modern Russian, there are words that have the same lexical meaning: bandage, appendicitis, birch, felt-tip pen, satin, etc. Such words are called unambiguous or monosemantic (gr.
What word in Russian has the most meanings?
Polysemous words can be among words belonging to any part of speech, except for numbers. Most polysemous words are observed among verbs. The word «go» can be called «champion» in terms of ambiguity. It has more than 40 meanings, and the verb «pull» has more than 20.
How to determine the meaning of a polysemantic word?
A word that has several lexical meanings is polysemantic. One meaning is direct, the rest are portable. A striking example of a polysemantic word is a key (spanner, treble, spring, key from the lock). Any independent part of speech can be polysemantic: a noun, an adjective, a verb, etc.
What are words with two meanings called?
Words that have two or more meanings are called polysemous. Words that answer the same question and have a similar meaning are called synonyms. Words that answer the same question, but have the opposite meaning, are called antonyms.
What are grade 2 polysemous words?
Polysemous words are words that have two or more lexical meanings. Explanatory dictionary — a dictionary that provides an explanation of the lexical meaning of a word.
Why are there so many synonyms in English?
Why are there so many synonyms in English?
It’s one thing when synonyms convey the subtlest shades of moods, qualities, intentions. … Third, you can practice your English listening skills once again — a little exercise for those seeking to improve their skills.
How many English languages?
Living languages
| Language | A type |
|---|---|
| English | West Germanic languages |
| Welsh | Celtic languages (British languages) |
| Scottish (Germanic) | West Germanic languages |
| Irish | Celtic languages (Goidel languages) |
What words refer to Homonyms?
Homonyms are words that match in sound and spelling, but have different meanings:
- glasses in a beautiful frame;
- score points in the game.
How many letters are there in the largest English word?
The longest words in English The longest word that can be found in the English dictionary contains 45 letters and calls the disease silicosis: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
What does the word tetrahydropyranylcyclopentyltetrahydropyridopyridine mean?
Tetrahydropyranylcyclopentyltetrahydropyridopyridine is a 55-letter word describing a substance according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2285004. The word denoting age includes a numeral, spelled together, and the basis «-years».
What does the longest word in the world look like?
In the Guinness Book of Records, the 1993 edition, the word «X-ray electrocardiographic» was named the longest. It consists of 33 letters. In 2003, the word changed — «high-level discerning.» There are already 35 letters in it.
Table of Contents
- What is a word for similar but different?
- What are Homographs 10 examples?
- What is a Homograph word?
- Is back a Homograph?
- Is right a Homograph?
- Is number a Homograph?
- Is sink a Homograph?
- Is fly a Homograph?
- Is duck a Homograph?
- What are two ways to pronounce a word?
- Is Bass a homonym or Homograph?
- Is Bass pronounced base?
Homonyms, or multiple–meaning words, are words that have the same spelling and usually sound alike, but have different meanings (e.g. dog bark, tree bark).
What is a word for similar but different?
People most get tripped up on words that are too similar. When words are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings, then they are called homonyms.
What are Homographs 10 examples?
Homograph Examples
- agape – with mouth open OR love.
- bass – type of fish OR low, deep voice.
- bat – piece of sports equipment OR an animal.
- bow – type of knot OR to incline.
- down – a lower place OR soft fluff on a bird.
- entrance – the way in OR to delight.
- evening – smoothing out OR after sunset.
- fine – of good quality OR a levy.
What is a Homograph word?
: one of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation (such as the bow of a ship, a bow and arrow)
Is back a Homograph?
Homograph definition: In English, homographs are words with the same spelling but having more than one meaning. … Taking the stricter definition of homograph, we will review some homographs words that are often confused. Homograph examples: back–back.
Is right a Homograph?
Why do right, rite, wright, write sound the same even though they are completely different words? The answer is simple: right, rite, wright, write are homophones of the English language.
Is number a Homograph?
Heteronyms are a type of homograph, which is a word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning. … Related words are numbers, numbered, numbering. The word number is derived from the Latin word numerus, which means an amount or a quantity. Number (NUM mer) is the comparative of numb.
Is sink a Homograph?
The answer is simple: cinque, sink, sync are homophones of the English language.
Is fly a Homograph?
Homographic Homophones: Fly and Fly and Other Words that Look and Sound the Same But are as Different in Meaning as Bat and Bat.
Is duck a Homograph?
The word homonym means, roughly, “same name.” According to the Oxford English Grammar, homonyms are “distinct words that happen to have the same form.” And they’re pronounced the same, too. So when you see a duck and when you duck your head, those are homonyms.
What are two ways to pronounce a word?
A homonym is a word that has a different meaning than another word but is pronounced the same or spelled the same or both. The word homonym can be used as a synonym for both homophone and homograph. It can also be used to refer to words that are both homophones and homographs.
Is Bass a homonym or Homograph?
Answer and Explanation: Bass can actually be both a homonym and homograph. As a homograph, you can have a ‘bass voice’ or a ‘bass‘ which is a kind of fish. These words are spelled alike but have different pronunciations and meanings, making them homographs.
Is Bass pronounced base?
Because language is wonderfully insane 🙂 The musical term “bass” is not only pronounced like “base“, but also it means “base” (as in “low”), and indeed is essentially the same word. Both of these “base” words originated with the Greek word βάσις (“basis“).