English Translation
The word has acquired broad meaning.
Could 至る be replaced with なる and mean a similar thing?
@ericaw
No. 至る and なる have different structures of collocations.
Correct: その後は広い意味を持つに至った。
Incorrect: その後は広い意味を持つになった。
Correct: その後は広い意味を持つようになった。
至る means “to reach to” or “to result in” while なる is “to become”.
Root form of verb + に + 至る is the correct structure. You cannot apply the same one to なる because of the function of particle に.
Particle に is used for a direction/destination or being in a certain situation/location. – e.g. メアリ―は公園に行きました。= Mary went to the park. ～に至る shows the end state of the progress. So, it’s a final destination.
If you want to use なるinstead, you need to convert a preceded verb into a gerund by inserting ように (being in the condition of).
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