Polysemous - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms (2024)

When a word or phrase has several meanings, you can describe that word as polysemous. One word that's famously polysemous is "bank."

You can choose a pronunciation for this adjective with stress on the second or third syllable since most dictionaries give both. Polysemous is a word lover's favorite, since it's about the meanings of words — lots of them in this case. Its complementary buddy is monosemous, which describes words that have only one meaning. The Greek root of polysemous is polysemos, "of many senses."

Polysemous - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms (2024)
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