Lecture semantic classification of words

Generalisation of meaning is the process of change of meaning when the word with the extended meaning passes from the specialised vocabulary into common use, e.g. ‘camp’ originally was used only as a military term and meant ‘the place where troops are lodged in tents’ (cf. L. campus — ‘exercising ground for the army’) extended and generalised its meaning and now denotes ‘temporary quarters’ (of travellers, nomads, etc.).
Pejorative development of the meaning is the acquisition by the word of some derogatory emotive charge, e.g. ‘boor’ originally denoted ‘a villager, a peasant’ and then acquired a derogatory, contemptuous meaning ‘a clumsy or ill-bred fellow’; a knave – n, 1) archaic a dishonest man; rogue 2) another word for jack (the playing card) валет; 3) obsolete a male servant. Etymology: Old English cnafa ; related to Old High German ‘knabo’ – boy.