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

Being, Aristotle says, "is said in many ways" (λέγεται πολλαχώς), 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" (πρὸς ἒν), and to "is said homonymously" (λέγεται όμωνύμως). The result is a new view of Aristotle's λέγεται πολλαχῶς, his homonyms, and their relationship to each other.