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Originally it meant just large. By extension it also came to mean powerful, important and in this sense was used as an epithet of God. Finally it came to mean good, wonderful, terrific.

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11y ago
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5d ago

The word "great" has undergone a semantic broadening, expanding from its original meaning of "large" or "big" to encompass qualities like "excellent," "impressive," or "important." This shift in meaning reflects the evolution of language as speakers find new ways to express positive attributes.

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Q: What is the semantic change in the meaning of the word great?
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What is the semantic change for the word wife?

The semantic change for the word "wife" has evolved from its Old English origin "wif" meaning woman to specifically refer to a married woman or female partner. This change reflects shifting social norms and attitudes towards marriage and gender roles over time.


What was the semantic change for the word arrive?

The word "arrive" originally came from the French word "ariver," meaning "to reach shore by boat." Over time, the meaning expanded to simply mean "to reach a destination."


In linguistics the smallest component of a word that has a semantic meaning?

The smallest component of a word that has a semantic meaning is called a morpheme. Morphemes can be words or parts of words that carry meaning, such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots.


Word and meaning do not match?

It sounds like you may be referring to a semantic disparity, where there may be confusion or discrepancy between the intended meaning of a word and how it is interpreted. This can occur due to factors like context, connotation, or cultural differences. Clarifying the intended meaning or using additional context can help align the word with its intended meaning.


Is the word great a homophone?

No, the word "great" is not a homophone. A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning, like "two" and "too." "Great" does not have a word with the same sound and different meaning.

Related questions

What is a semantic web?

The word semantic stands for the meaning of. The semantic of something is the meaning of something. The Semantic Web is a web that is able to describe things in a way that computers can understand.


Is semantic meaning of a word is the meaning apart from the inflections and affixes?

yes


What is the semantic change for the word wife?

The semantic change for the word "wife" has evolved from its Old English origin "wif" meaning woman to specifically refer to a married woman or female partner. This change reflects shifting social norms and attitudes towards marriage and gender roles over time.


What was the semantic change for the word arrive?

The word "arrive" originally came from the French word "ariver," meaning "to reach shore by boat." Over time, the meaning expanded to simply mean "to reach a destination."


Is the semantic meaning of a word is the meaning apart from inflections and affixes?

yes


In linguistics the smallest component of a word that has a semantic meaning?

The smallest component of a word that has a semantic meaning is called a morpheme. Morphemes can be words or parts of words that carry meaning, such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots.


What is the smallest component of a word that has a semantic meaning called?

Morpheme


What is semantic derogation?

semantic derogation is a negative connotation on a word :)


What type of noise occurs when you do not understand the speakers words or gestures?

Semantic Semantic noise, the third type of noise, occurs when the receiver of a message doesn't understand a word or gesture used by the sender or has a different meaning for the word or gesture.


This can be added to the end of a word to change the word's meaning?

a suffix will change the meaning


In the word fleeing how does the ing in the word change the meaning of the root word?

in word fleeing,how does the ing change the meaning of the root word


What semantic change did the word fun undergo?

The word 'fun' except in collocations like all the fun of the fair' is undergoing a slow but inexorable semantic shift in the direction if use primarily in the context of recreational sex. As in 'where must a guy go around here to find some fun?'