Episode 4 (Bonus Episode): Polysemous Words

This episode explores polysemy, the phenomenon by which a single word can have multiple meanings. Why do we use the word ‘foot’ in the compound word ‘footnote?’ Why does the word ‘decimation’ derive from the Latin word for ‘ten?’ Will books eventually become extinct? We answer all of these questions and more, all through the lens of polysemy. 

Om Podcasten

Words for Granted is a podcast that looks at how words change over time. Host Ray Belli uses linguistic evolution as a way of understanding larger historical and cultural changes.