dislexify

English

Etymology

From dis- +‎ lexify.

Verb

dislexify (third-person singular simple present dislexifies, present participle dislexifying, simple past and past participle dislexified)

1. To distinguish different meanings using separate words, as opposed to colexifying them with a single polysemous word

   Antonyms: colexify, coexpress

   Synonym: distinguish

   • 2022 June 9, Alexandre François, “Lexical tectonics: Mapping structural change in patterns of lexification”, in Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft‎, page 95:

     A language dislexifies two senses if it must express them using different lexical forms. Thus, Spanish dislexifies the two senses ‘wood as material’ (madera) and ‘firewood’ (leña). […] In sum, the two senses in question are dislexified in Spanish, but colexified in English. […] A language may dislexify two senses at a certain point in history, but its descendant may colexify them, or vice versa.

Related terms

• dislexification