plurisignification means the property of having multiple meanings.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, plurisignification ranks #772 of 12,951 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,561 of 12,955 for Most Incisive Words, #7,872 of 12,955 for Most Whimsical Words, #9,110 of 12,955 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “plurisignification” is a great word
The property of a word or symbol having multiple, often simultaneous, meanings, especially as a deliberate poetic or literary device. Formed within English by compounding, from the combining form pluri- (from Latin plūs, plūr-, meaning 'more') and the noun signification (from Latin significātiōn-, significātiō, meaning 'act of signifying, meaning'). Unlike 'ambiguity,' which often connotes unintended confusion or vagueness, or 'polysemy,' which names the general linguistic condition, plurisignification is the active, artful deployment of layered sense. It is the shimmering depth of a single line in a poem that refuses to settle, the rich hum of a symbol that points in several directions at once, and the quiet power of a word that holds its contradictions without breaking—a testament to language’s refusal to be merely efficient, insisting instead on being inexhaustible.
Etymology
From pluri- + signification.
noun
- The property of having multiple meanings.“Its plurisignification must give pause to anyone who wishes to use it in precise discussion.”
Words closest in meaning
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