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Disambiguate
I may be treading on shaky ground here, especially since the discussion
lately on word studies has raised questions about the "meaning" of words
(especially words without a context), but I'd like to make a stab at a
definition for "disambiguate". (I know, I probably shouldn't define this
term without a context--apologies to Bob--but dictionaries offer such
attempts on a regular basis, even Greek lexicons!). Disambugate--to render
a word or phrase or sentence in a less ambiguous form, i.e., to get at a
less ambiguous meaning than the original may present. This definition
of course assumes that such a thing can be done, taking
into account that "ambiguous" or "ambiguate" have as their meaning such
things as "doubtful or uncertain, inexplicable" or "capable of being
understood in two or more possible senses," and recognizing that "dis-" is
a prefix that entails a reversal or undoing or separation. Of course, we
run into trouble if "dis-" is actually a prefix that means "two." Then the
word "disambiguate" actually means something like "to give at least two
ambiguous or doubtful meanings." (Oops, I think I just showed how "word
studies" can be dangerous!)
Leo Percer
PERCERL@BAYLOR.EDU