Lextensibilité

Lextensibilité is a term used in linguistics to describe the capacity of a lexical item to extend its reach within a language. It refers to the potential for a word to gain new senses, to participate in new derivations, or to form new compounds, thereby expanding its productive use in the lexicon. The concept treats lexical change as a measurable property of words rather than a purely historical outcome.

The notion encompasses several dimensions. Semantic extension concerns new meanings that arise for a word, often through metaphor or metonymy. Syntactic extension involves the word acquiring new grammatical or syntactic roles, such as entering different word classes or participating in new constructions. Derivational and compounding productivity reflect the word’s ability to generate related forms and compound expressions. Cross-domain extension notes the transfer of a term from one semantic field to another (for example, a concrete term becoming a technical or informal label). Temporal and social dimensions account for how quickly and how widely a word’s uses spread within a speech community.

Examples are typically described in terms of attested changes in corpora: a lexeme shifting from a concrete sense to abstract or technical senses; new affixes or compounds built on the base; metaphorical extensions that become conventionalized. One may assess lextensibilité by examining rates of sense proliferation, derivational productivity, and adoption in new domains.

Lextensibilité is not an universally standardized term. It is used in theoretical discussions to capture a word’s potential for growth beyond its original meaning, and it relates to concepts such as semantic extension, lexical productivity, and polysemy. See also: semantic change, word formation, productivity.