FIGURATIVE EXTENSION

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FIGURATIVE EXTENSION, also extension. A process of SEMANTIC CHANGE in which a word gains further senses figuratively, especially through metaphor or metonymy. For example, the reference of crown has extended from a usually royal head-dress to royalty itself, to (among others) a coin with this symbol on it, to the part of the head where a crown rests, to the top of a hill or other such place, to the crest of a bird, to a crown-like award or honour, to the enamel-covered part of a tooth above the gum, and to a standard size of printing paper.