Polysemy
Whereas homonymy is a relation that holds between two or more
separate lexical items, polysemy ("multiple meaning") is a property of single lexemes with several senses. The senses are called 'polysemes'. Here is an example, where one sense of a lexeme is derived from a second one:
the human face ==> the face of a clock
Further important differences between homonymy and polysemy include:
- The meanings of a polysemous expression are related to each other
- Polysemy is a regular phenomenon.
- Polysemes have the same historical origin.
While homonymy and polysemy are theoretically clearly defined, in practice the distinction between them is not always easy to make. For example, historical facts may contradict speakers' intuitions about the (non-)relatedness of senses.