What is the name for the process by which a word's meaning is trivialized or diminished in importance from its original meaning? For example, the standard English word throne means a toilet in English slang; Saray in Persian means palace, in Russian it means a shed.
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5Pejoration is the term I'm aware of. – Alex B. Dec 20 '16 at 20:50
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I think you should clarify your question a little bit and maybe use a really good example. Does "Saray" come from the same etymological origin? In English, throne is used euphemistically for social reasons, but the process might be called metaphorical extension. It's hard to give a really good answer to this question because its so vague. The meaning of a word can't really "diminish" it can change to something more general (or pejorative as has been said). – Throsby Dec 21 '16 at 5:09
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1Pejoration is precisely the term I was seeking. Thanks Alex! – Vekzhivi Dec 21 '16 at 14:48
