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10.1: Elements of Word Meaning- Intensions and Extensions

  • Page ID
    9696
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    One way to define the meaning of a word is to point to examples in the world of things the word refers to; these examples are the word’s denotation, or extension. Another component of a word’s meaning is the list of attributes in our mind that describe the things the word can refer to; this list is the intension of a word.
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    Check Yourself

    1. Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzy, and Maurice Richard, are all ______________ of the phrase hockey player.

    • Extensions.
    • Intensions.
    • Connotations.

    2. Has pages, binding, and contains writing are all __________________ of the word book.

    • Extensions.
    • Intensions.
    • Connotations.

    3. Head of state, lives in the White House, and American are all ______________ of the phrase President of the United States.

    • Extensions.
    • Intensions.
    • Connotations.
    Answers

    This page titled 10.1: Elements of Word Meaning- Intensions and Extensions is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Catherine Anderson (eCampusOntario) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.