User:Bracton/Sandbox/List of polysemes
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The following is a list of common polysemes. These examples can variously mean a verb to act, a noun for an activity, or nouns for those engaged in the activity, the result of the activity, or the place or time of the activity:
word | original use | polysemic use |
---|---|---|
General | ||
aggregation | coming together | result of coming together; those who come together |
assembly | coming together | result of coming together; those who come together |
bank | keep secure | place where things are kept secure |
bed | something sleepers lay upon | what a stream lays on |
book | a bound collection of pages | text distributed as a book |
congregation | coming together | result of coming together; those who come together |
court | seek favor | assembly of those seeking favor; the president of the court ("judge") |
delegation | granting authority to another | those to whom authority has been granted |
hospital | activity or place for lodging guests | place for treating the ill |
hunt | seeking something, especially game animals, to kill or capture | those engaged in a search and taking |
march | moving together on foot | those who move together on foot |
milk | activity of extracting milk | result of the extraction |
militia | military or defense activity | those engaged in or subject to being required to engage in defense activity |
ministry | serving the needs of others | those engaged in serving the needs of others |
mole | a small burrowing mammal | someone who burrows for information hoping to go undetected |
movement | motion, change in position | result of motion or change; those who move or change |
nurse | serving the needs of others | someone engaged in serving the needs of others |
police | make orderly (lawful) | law enforcers |
service | doing for others | those who serve (especially military) |
Viking | raiding | those who raid (especially of Scandinavian origin) |
wedding | joining a couple in matrimony | those engaged in joining a couple in matrimony; time or place of doing so |
wood | a piece of a tree | a geographical area with many trees |
American | ||
Canadian | ||
British | ||
French | ||
European | ||
Rest of the world |
References
[edit]Category:Rhetorical techniques Category:Literary devices playing with meaning Category:Semantics Category:Greek loanwords Category:Polysemy