Polysemous

Pronunciation ,

• RP IPA: /pəˈlɪs.ɪ.mÉ™s/, /ËŒpÉ’l.ɪˈsiː.mÉ™s/
• US IPA: /ËŒpɑːl.iˈsiː.mÉ™s/, /pəˈlɪs.É™.mÉ™s/

Origin

From Latin polysēmus, from Ancient Greek πολύσημος, from πολύς (polus, "many") + σημαίνω (sēmainō, "I signify, mean").

Full definition of polysemous

Adjective

1. (linguistics) Having multiple meanings or interpretations.

Synonyms

• polysemantic
• polysemic

Antonyms

• monosemous

Related terms

• polysemy