Lecture semantic classification of words

Specialisation of meaning is the process of change of meaning when the word with the new meaning comes to be used in the specialised vocabulary of some limited group. For example, we can observe restriction and specialisation of meaning in the case of the verb to glide (OE. glidan) which had the meaning ‘to move gently and smoothly’ and has now acquired a restricted and specialised meaning ‘to fly with no engine’ (cf. a glider).
Extension of meaning is the process of change of meaning when the word is applied to a wider variety of referents, e.g. ‘target” which originally meant ‘a small round shield’ (a diminutive of targe, сf. ON. targa) but now means ‘anything that is fired at’ and also figuratively ‘any result aimed at’. Another example is ‘tremendous’ - 1) vast; huge 2) informal very exciting or unusual 3) informal (intensifier) a tremendous help 4) archaic terrible or dreadful • Etymology: from Latin tremendus terrible, literally: that is to be trembled at , from tremere to quake. Derived words: tremendously ; tremendousness