instantiate - find an instance of (a word or particular usage of a word); "The linguists could not instantiate this sense of the noun that he claimed existed in a certain dialect"

represent - be representative or typical for; "This period is represented by Beethoven"

detect, discover, notice, observe, find - discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint"

instantiate - represent by an instance; "This word instantiates the usage that the linguists claimed to be typical for a certain dialect"