classeme

C3L1A1S1S1E1M3E1

noun

A generic or contextual seme, denoting a group of objects.

OriginEnglish phonemeclip. ← Ancient Greek φώνημα (phṓnēma) →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounclasseme (plural classemes)

plural classemes

  1. human sciencesA generic or contextual seme, denoting a group of objects.

    Given that "bark" has two classemes, human and canine, it is the presence of the dog or the commissioner that decides whether "bark" is taken in a literal or figurative sense.

    1986, Umberto Eco, Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language, →ISBN, page 190

Origin

  1. Englishclass
  2. Ancient Greekφώνημα (phṓnēma)
  3. Englishphonemeclip.
  4. Englishclasseme

From class + -eme.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French classème
  • classèmegeneric seme
German Klassem
  • Klassemgeneric seme
Korean 분류의미소
  • 분류의미소 (bullyuuimiso)generic seme
Turkish sınıfbirim
  • sınıfbirimgeneric seme
Cite this entry
APA

classeme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/classeme

MLA

“classeme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/classeme. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “classeme,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/classeme.

Source: classeme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.