colexification

English

Etymology

By surface analysis, co- +‎ lexi- +‎ -ify +‎ -ication.

Noun

colexification (countable and uncountable, plural colexifications)

1. (linguistics) The linguistic pattern whereby multiple meanings can be expressed by the same word (or a pair of homonymous words).

   Antonyms: dislexification, differentiation

   Hyponyms: vagueness, polysemy, homonymy; (types of linear polysemy) autohyponymy, autohypernymy, autosuperordination, automeronymy, autoholonymy

   • 2022 June 9, Alexandre François, “Lexical tectonics: Mapping structural change in patterns of lexification”, in Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1], page 95:

     Languages may be compared in their patterns of colexification – that is, their ability to encode two distinct senses using the same lexeme.

Related terms

• colexify
• dislexify
• dyslexify

See also

• ambiguity
• metonymy; synecdoche
• nonuniqueness; unique identifier