The process by which the word wife used to mean “woman” but now

The process by which the word wife used to mean “woman” but now means "a married woman” is( )of word-meaning.
【正确答案】:NARROWING
【题目解析】:本题考查词义的缩小。Narrowing of meaning also called specialization. It is a process by which a word of wide meaning acquires a narrower or specialized sense.词义的缩小也称词义的具体化,这是意义范围较大的词向意义范围较小的方向演变的过程。比如wife的意思从女人变成了结了婚的女人,词义更具体了,所以是词义的缩小。