Related shifts
| ID | Meaning 1 | Direction | Meaning 2 | |
| 5044 | grandfather | → | term of address to a man | Open |
| ACCEPTED Realization 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | English | |
| lexeme | old man | |
| meaning 1 | elderly man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (UK, dated) term of address for a male friend, irrespective of age. | “Don't mention it, old man,” I responded courteously. 1934, P. G. Wodehouse, Right Ho, Jeeves |
| reference | English Wiktionary | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Finnish | |
| lexeme | äijä | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (colloquial) guy, bro (used for generally addressing a man) | Mihin se meni se äijä? Where did that guy go? Mitä äijä? What's up, man? |
| reference | <personally collected data> | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | German | |
| lexeme | Alter | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (colloquial) dude, guy; a somewhat intimate or mildly dismissive word for a man, especially but not exclusively used as a vocative | Alter! Komm zurück, wir müssen hier links. Dude! Come back, we need to go left here. |
| reference | DWDS Duden English Wiktionary | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Ilocano | |
| lexeme | lakay | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | colloquial term of address between males | |
| reference | ACD | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 5 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Latvian | |
| lexeme | vecis | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (colloquial) man, guy | “dēlī ir tā mašīna”, viņš teica, “jāgaida remonta veči”
“that machine is on the plank”, he said, “we now have to wait for the repair guys” guys, where is there a telephone here (lit. where can one call by telephone here)? |
| reference | English Wiktionary | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 6 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Livvi-Karelian | |
| lexeme | ukko | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | term of address to a man | |
| reference | Makarov 1990: 403 | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 7 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Russian | |
| lexeme | старик | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (informal, dated) term of address to a man | Убегать из дому принято в 12-13 лет, да и то в детских книжках. А в 17 лет - это, старик, нелепо. Прояви свою волю в другом. Попробуй все-таки поступить в институт. (Василий Аксёнов "Звездный билет") |
| reference | BTS | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Spanish | |
| lexeme | viejo | |
| meaning 1 | old man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (Mexico) a certain guy or man, especially adult or almost; (Mexico) sweetheart, honey (substitute for a male name) | Me gusta el viejo de bigote. I like the guy with moustache. Los tacos más ricos son los del viejo de camisa negra. The most delicious tacos are those sold by the guy with black shirt. No quiero viejos groseros en mi fiesta. I do not want impolite, discourteous men in my party. Ya regresé, viejo. I'm back, dear. |
| reference | English Wiktionary | |
| comment | ||
| ACCEPTED Realization 9 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Thai | |
| lexeme | lung (ลุง) | |
| meaning 1 | term of address for elderly man | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (sometimes derogatory, offensive) term of address for any man | |
| reference | <personally collected data> | |
| comment | Initially 'uncle: older brother of one's father or mother' |
|
Usually informal friendly address.
In some languages there is a further semantic shift from the address term to the designation of a man, like English guy (Latvian, Mexican Spanish, German).
A different case in Thai (derogatory term).