Process of Neosemy

• Processes of Neosemy - where a new meaning develops for an existing word.
• Amelioration - When a word takes on a more positive meaning over time, often due to younger generations attempting too stray away from society and create group membership which catches on

  E.g. Knight use to mean servant but now thought as noble and brave
• Pejoration - When a word takes on a more negative meaning over time e.g. Awful originally meant awesome
• Weakening - A word loses some of its force e.g. Bloody use to be highly offensive and Naught use to mean worthless
• Broadening - When a word takes on a more broader meaning over time. Hoover was originally a brand now a general term
• Narrowing - When a word becomes more specific in meaning over time e.g. Liquor is now used to refer to alcohol but use to just mean liquid.
• Metaphor - Words acquire additional meanings as physical ideas to abstract with similar qualities e.g. High can mean physical height or a buzz from a drug.
• Euphemism - Creation of polite but indirect expressions for things that may be considered unpleasant e.g. Friendly Fire is used to refer to gunfire at allies.
• Polysemy - Words acquire many possible meanings which co-exist with original e.g. Foot can mean an actual foot or the foot of a hill