These are three possible ways in which the meanings of polysemous words can be arranged in a dictionary:
(1) According to the historical development of the meaning, i.e. historical order. Here the meanings are arranged in a chronological order. The etymological meaning is given first and other meanings in order of their appearance in the language. This order is generally, but not exclusively, found in historical dictionaries.
(2) According to the frequency of the meaning i.e. the most frequent meaning being given first followed by the less frequent meanings. This order is most widely followed and is termed the empirical or actual order.
(3) According to the logical connection of the words i.e. the logical order. Here the meanings are arranged according to their logical connections. This order may or may not correspond to the historical order.