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What is this word that has four different meanings?

86 replies

Whatisthisword · 21/05/2025 03:52

I was reading an article the other day about a word that has four different meanings and each meaning has a different root but I've forgotten what the word is. I think it's a fairly simple word like 'cake' and I think it might be the only English word that has four different meanings from four completely separate roots.

Does anyone have any ideas?

OP posts:
MostlyHappyMummy · 22/05/2025 15:09

Bow?

TeaAndCakeMakeThingsBetter · 22/05/2025 15:09

I reckon it’s post.

post as in fence
post as in post a letter
post as in afterwards
post as in job or position

Jaffaisitacakeorbiscuit · 22/05/2025 15:14

set

CanadianJohn · 22/05/2025 15:17

row as in lined up
row as in boat
row as in argument
row as in loud noise
there are probably others

MollyButton · 23/05/2025 06:50

JoBrodie · 22/05/2025 00:11

Cell?
• mobile phone
• basic unit of a living organism
• room in a prison
• unit of a spreadsheet
• battery

I suppose you could argue that 2, 3 and 4 are the same thing in the sense that they both describe a discrete bounded thing... and I suppose that might be the same for 5 too.

Big fan of 'cleave' which means both 'split apart' and 'cling to' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contronym)

Jo

I’m not sure about Battery and Mobile phone. But the other meanings of Cell come from the living things definition. The first cells observed by microscope were from cork, which was dead so the cells were “empty”.

InstantUserNameJustAddWater · 23/05/2025 07:08

Could be "suit" although I don't know the respective etymologies.

  • item of clothing e.g. three piece suit, suit of armour
  • to flatter e.g. "That blouse suits you"
  • a cause e.g. to press one's suit
  • a legal case e.g. a law suit
  • to please e.g. "Suit yourself "
  • a set e.g. playing card suits (spades, hearts etc)
  • slang for senior execs e.g. "Let the suits worry about it"
Lougle · 23/05/2025 07:22

The word "flight" can have four distinct meanings: 1) the act of flying; 2) a group of birds flying together; 3) the act of escaping; and 4) a staircase

ArtfulPuss · 23/05/2025 07:31

Cross?

JennyShaw · 23/05/2025 08:51

"Prick" has 4 different meanings according to Microsoft Copilot.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 23/05/2025 08:59

DilemmaDelilah · 21/05/2025 18:17

Present = gift
Present = give/show something
Present = not absent
I'm sure there's another meaning as well.....

Contemporary? E.g. ‘present day customs/conditions…’

JennyShaw · 23/05/2025 09:05

There's the old joke about the child who went to school and was told to 'Sit here for the present'. He was disappointed because he thought he was going to be given a present but the teacher meant 'sit here for now'.

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