Have you ever used a Swiss Army knife, the multifunctional device with as many as 87 tools and 141 functions? The linguistic equivalent is polysemy, the phenomenon by which one word has multiple related meanings, depending on context.
Take the word “set” — it can function as a noun, an adjective, or a verb with dozens of usages for each part of speech.These multiple meanings have utility in a variety of circumstances. You can set the table, set down an object, set your sights, and set a date. You might buy a set of colored pencils, straighten the set of your shirt cuffs, or find a set of people you want to get to know. Someone might be set in their ways, set on going to a party, or say “I’m set” to a request.
Over time, English speakers have thought of new uses for existing words. After all, why coin a new word if one that already exists is serviceable? For example, “bug,” “virus,” “cookies,” “mouse,” “web,” “tweet,” “tablet,” “swipe,” “spam,” “desktop,” “cloud,” “block,” and “firewall” all existed before the advent of computers. Because computer users readily understand the meanings of those words outside of the tech world, repurposing them in a new context is effective.
A student may be bright, radiating intelligence, and the sun can be bright, emitting plenty of light. A foot can be what you walk with, or a unit of measure, as in the height of a 6-foot-tall athlete. A crane is a type of bird and also a machine to hoist heavy objects.
In these instances, the two uses of the same word are related and depend on context for meaning. Words that are particularly specific, such as “alligator,” “pencil,” and “rectangle,” don’t lend themselves to multiple meanings. On the other hand, consider such versatile words as “hand,” “turn,” “set,” and “run.” So, what words have many correlated meanings?
Our hands are so versatile, it’s no surprise that we have so many phrases based on such a handy word.
A sampling: lend a hand, wash your hands of, hands down, on the one hand, on the other hand, know like the back of your hand, get your hands on, live from hand to mouth, at hand, in good hands, by hand, hand in glove with, hands are tied, all hands on deck, hand it to you, tip your hand, out of hand, secondhand, change hands, have your hands full, try your hand at, lend a hand, give a hand, hand-me-down, have a hand in, and take matters into your own hands.
Our bodies are made to turn, with the aid of our backbones — technically called “vertebrae,” a word derived from the Latin vertere, meaning “to turn.”
Here’s a selection of “turn” turns of phrase: turn of events, as it turned out, a 180-degree turn, do a U-turn, hairpin turn, speak out of turn, make someone turn over in their grave, turn on, turn off, do someone a bad turn, take a turn for the worse, take turns, turn the tables, the turn of the century, toss and turn, turn a blind eye, turn a deaf ear, turn a profit, turn against someone, turn down, turn in, turn one’s back on, turn out in force, turn out to be true, turn over a new leaf, turn to one’s advantage, turn up, turn one’s nose up, can’t turn back time, turn of mind, do a good turn, at every turn, out of turn, not know where to turn, turn on its ear, turn the corner, turn someone’s stomach, and accomplish a turnaround.
The Unabridged Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists about 200 meanings of this word.
Here are some uses of “set”: set an example, set out, all set, dead set against, set your sights on, get set, set the record straight, set in your ways, not set in stone, set about, set forth, set off, set the stage for, set up, set apart, set aside, set the table, set a fire, set an alarm, set sail, set a record, set a good example, set a precedent, set a trap, set foot, and setback.
The winner of the polysemy contest is “run.” The Oxford English Dictionary lists almost 650 distinct but related uses of that word — just as a verb, not for multiple parts of speech.
A sampling: run for office, run on electricity, a contract with a year to run, these colors won’t run, my nose is running, the boundary runs west, chills run up my spine, she runs the bases well, don’t run a red light, run the wires through the wall, run your car off the road, don’t run the risk, big ears run in the family, how to run a machine or run a store, run a tab at a bar, run a story, and run a hot bath.
For more candidates as contenders in the polysemy contest, consider “put,” “go,” “take,” “stand,” “get,” “fall,” and “strike.” How many uses of each of those words can you think of?
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