Semasiology
/ˌsiːmeɪsiˈɒlədʒi/noun
The study of word meanings, especially how meanings develop independently of the names given to concepts.
Did you know?Semasiology is the reverse of onomasiology: it starts with a word and investigates the concepts that word can express, making it a linguistic study of how signs accumulate meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
sēma (σῆμα)
“A sign, mark, token, or signal”
Ancient Greek
Greek
sēmasia (σημασία)
“Meaning, significance, or signification”
19th Century
German
Semasiologie
“The study of word meaning, coined as a technical linguistic term”
Late 19th Century
English
semasiology
“The branch of linguistics concerned with meanings of words”
Modern English
English
semasiology
“The analysis of lexical meaning and semantic change, especially from word to concept”