How do traces of other meanings affect the meaning of a word in deconstruction?

In deconstruction, the meaning of a word is never fully present or fixed; instead, it is endlessly deferred through an infinite chain of linguistic relationships.1

Drawing on the work of Ferdinand de Saussure, Jacques Derrida argued that linguistic meaning is determined by the "play" of differences between words. Because a word's meaning relies on its contrast with other words—which in turn rely on contrasts with further words—every term carries the "traces" of the meanings on which it depends.1

Derrida coined the term différance to describe this process, capturing both the act of differing from other signs and the act of deferring meaning. Consequently, meaning is not an original idea existing outside of language, but a product of this limitless, indefinite network of traces. This perspective challenges the "metaphysics of presence," which incorrectly assumes that words can directly capture a stable, independent truth or essence.1