This volume inscribes itself in the long-standing debate on the status of the "e;word"e;. Considering its multi-faceted nature, the authors formulate multiple questions about it and, though no answer to these questions might be exhaustive, each of them brings the reader closer to a more complete understanding of the issue. The eleven authors included here address the nature of the word from a number of perspectives, such as the duality of the word, the status of the word as a meaningful unit, the meaning extension, the lexico-grammar continuum, and the pragmatic functioning of the word, to name but a few. Each of the chapters is a fresh contribution that broadens the perspective traditionally adopted in a discussion of the word and, at the same time, constitutes a sound overview of the issues and approaches taken in such an analysis at the turn of the second to the third millennium. The volume is a prime example of the efficiency of research within which multiple linguistic perspectives focus on a single problem - all the perspectives contribute to a more thorough comprehension of the problem than any single of them is ever able to afford.