What does monosemy mean?
Monosemy is the condition in which a word has only one distinct meaning. Its opposite is polysemy, in which one word expresses several related meanings; for example, a single word may refer both to an animal and to its meat without acquiring a separate unrelated sense. Monosemy is especially common in carefully devised technical vocabularies, where each term is intended to designate one concept clearly and consistently. It also occurs naturally in ordinary language, particularly where a word has a straightforward everyday referent. Although a monosemous word can still be ambiguous in a practical situation, especially where contexts differ sharply, its lexical structure is uncomplicated by deliberate semantic division. The term is useful in lexicography, semantics, and language planning because it draws attention to the relationship between a word's form and its range of meanings.
nounThe state of having only one distinct meaning. A word with a single meaning is described as monosemous.
- The property of a word or other linguistic sign having exactly one distinct meaning.
"The term 'mammal' illustrates monosemy: it has a clear, stable meaning across ordinary usage."
"The neologism was rejected because its intended monosemy could not be maintained in everyday use."
"Compared with many technical terms, the familiar word 'table' appears strikingly monosemous to young children."
The plural is rare and is mainly used in academic discussion of individual words or language forms.
"The study compares the monosemies of specialized technical registers with the broader vocabularies of everyday language."
Monosemy is what gives a word the luxury of explaining itself: one form, one meaning, little room for confusion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does monosemy come from?
Monosemy combines the Greek combining form mono-, meaning 'single' or 'only', with -semy, derived from Greek sēma, 'sign' or 'meaning'. The development reflects the older contrast between monē, 'one', and polu-, 'many'. It belongs to the same semantic family as semantic, sememe, and semantics, all of which concern the relationship between signs and meanings.
Related word forms
How monosemy is actually used
This is a specialized linguistic term, chiefly used in semantics, lexicography, and discussions of language design. It is distinct from a term being merely easy to define, since monosemy concerns the actual number of distinct meanings rather than the ease of explaining a term.
Easily confused with monosemy
Monosemy is the property of having one meaning, whereas polysemy is the property of a word having multiple related meanings.
Monosemy concerns the number of meanings a word has, while homonymy concerns different words sharing the same form or pronunciation.