Which example demonstrates semantic extension?

• A. Keyboard meaning something
• B. Parliament meaning assembly hall
• C. Brunch meaning breakfast-lunch
• D. Mouse meaning computer mouse

Answer: (D)

Semantic extension happens when a word acquires a broader range of related meanings beyond its original sense. The example of the computer mouse fits this perfectly: the word mouse originally meant the small rodent, but it also came to name the computer input device because it resembles the animal in shape and the way it moves. Over time, the term extended to cover the new object, giving it a meaning that sits alongside the original animal sense.

The other cases involve different processes. Brunch is a blend created from parts of two meals, not a widening of an existing word’s meaning. Parliament’s use for the assembly hall is a shift based on association (the building standing in for the institution) rather than a broadening of what the word can refer to. The keyboard sense also involves naming a new device after an existing concept, but the mouse example is the clearest and most straightforward illustration of semantic extension.