Aristotle's "Is Said in Many Ways" and Its Relationship to His Homonyms

Being, Aristotle says, "is said in many ways" (λεγεται πολλ αχως), and so are the good and many other fundamental things. Fair enough, but what does this mean? While scholars have presented us with an array of different translations for this difficult term, none seem adequate. I argue that it means "is uttered signifying many things." I then examine the relationship of this phrase to his homonyms, to significata having the same "name" that are "related to one and the same thing" (προς εν), and to "is said homonymously" (λεγεται ομωνυμως). The result is a new view of Aristotle's λεγεται πολ λαχως, his homonyms, and their relationship to each other. © 2010 Project MUSE®.