such a word is actually a process of analyzing its polysemantic range. In addition to distinguishing between concrete (or literal) and abstract (or metaphorical) uses, one must also be attentive to the development of specialized meanings in particular contexts, the presence of metonymy, and precise syntactical combinations. Words often develop specialized meanings in certain contexts. For example, the Hebrew verb יָדַע has the basic sense “to know, be aware, experience.” But in its roughly 943 occurrences
Page 35