polysemy
/pəˈlɪsəmi/ (say puh'lisuhmee)
*noun* the acquisition and retention of many meanings by one word, as in the case of the word `tank' which referred to a receptacle for liquids and then additionally to a military vehicle.
[New Latin polysēmia, from Greek polysēmos, from poly poly-1 + sēmos sign]
–polysemic, polysemous, adjective
© Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2020
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