Types of Semantic Change

Generalization

a word becomes more general in scope.

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arrive (to reach the shore) → to reach destination

specialization

the scope of a word becomes narrower

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cattle (property) → bovine animals

amelioration

a word originally neutral or negative in connotation gains a positive connotation

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happy (accidental) → joyous

pejoration

a word originally neutral or positive in connotation gains a negative connotation

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lust (pleasure) → unhealthy sexual desire

euphemism

the substitution of more palatable word for an unpleasant one

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pass away (disappear) → die

commonization

a proper noun to a common noun, or from the name of a person or place to a common word, usually a noun, but sometimes a verb or adj

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maudlin (Mary Magdalen) → overly sentimental

concretion

a word becomes more concrete in its meanin g

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nimble (quick-witted, clever) → agile

abstraction

a word becomes more abstract in its meaning

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brood (sit on baby chicks) → ponder, think over

metonymy

refers to a thing by the name of something associated with it

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White House (home of President) → President’s administration

synecdoche

the process of allowing a word for a prominent part of a thing to stand for the whole thing

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count noses (enumerate probosci) → enumerate people

synesthesia

the association of sensory terms shift from one sense to another

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clash (to collide objects) → to be incompatible colorwise

anthimeria

the changing of nouns to verbs

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finger (digit on hand) → to point out with digit