| polysemous |
| Definition: Having many meanings. |
| Example: The word sign. |
| Etymology: It derives from the Greek poly, many + sema, sign. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The word's first OED citation is from 1884: "What Dante himself, in his dedication to Can Grande, calls the ‘polysemous’ character of the poem.…" (Athenæum 17 May 628/2) |