Where does “polysemy” come from?
Polysemy comes from English polyseme, from English seme, from English seem, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ivus, from Latin -ia, from Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning "one," from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
polysemy (English): The property of a word, sign or symbol that can...
Definitions
- The property of a word, sign or symbol that can...
Ancestry of “polysemy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 2 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 3 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |