Semantic word formation

Semantic word formation is the formation of new meanings of a lexeme. A new meaning results from generalization or specifying the earlier meaning.

Generalization of meaning

Generalization of meaning is extending the previous meaning and making it more abstract.

e.g .picture ‘smth painted’ > any ‘visual image’

manuscript: ‘smth handwritten’ > ‘any author’s copy written or typed’

to arrive (French borrowing) "to come to shore, to land” >the general meaning "to come“,

e.g. to arrive in a village, town, city, country, at a hotel, hostel, college, theatre, place, etc.

pipe: "a musical wind instrument“ > any “hollow oblong cylindrical body”, e.g. water pipes

In MidE girl had the meaning of "a small child of either sex " Now >"a small child of the female sex ". So the range of meaning was somewhat narrowed. In its further semantic development the word gradually broadened its range of meaning, a young unmarried woman > anyyoung woman, in modern colloquial English, woman.