Which term describes the process by which a word gains a new meaning, such as "gay" historically meaning joyful?

• A. Neosemic shift
• B. Clipping
• C. Pejoration
• D. Euphemism

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how a word gains a new sense, adding a fresh meaning to its semantic repertoire. When a word develops a new semantic sense—a new sememe—the process is described as a neosemic shift. That term captures the idea of creating and integrating a new meaning into the word’s existing meaning structure, which is exactly what happens when, for example, a word like gay moves from meaning “joyful” to also meaning “homosexual.” Over time this new sense becomes established in use, distinct from its original sense.

Clipping isn’t about changing meaning at all—it’s about shortening a word, like “fridge” from “refrigerator.” Euphemism involves replacing a term with a milder or less direct one, which isn’t what’s happening in this case. Pejoration would involve the word’s sense becoming more negative over time, whereas the shift here is about introducing a new sense rather than degrading the old one.