Semantic change
The process by which word meanings shift, evolve, or transform over time. Semantic change includes narrowing, broadening, amelioration, pejoration, and metaphorical extension.
Real World
Shakespeare used 'nice' to mean 'foolish' or 'trivial' in his plays, yet today it means 'pleasant' — a semantic shift spanning four centuries that students encounter when studying set texts from earlier periods.
Exam Focus
Name the specific type of semantic change (narrowing, broadening, amelioration, pejoration) rather than just saying 'the meaning changed'.
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