HOMONYMY Meaning and
Definition
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Homonymy refers to the linguistic phenomenon in which two or more words have the same pronunciation or spelling but possess different meanings. It is derived from the Greek words "homos" meaning "same" and "onoma" meaning "name".
Homonymy can be further classified into two types: homophones and homographs. Homophones are words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings. For example, "read" (past tense of "read") and "reed" (a type of plant) are homophones as they sound the same but are spelled differently and have distinct definitions. On the other hand, homographs are words that share the same spelling but have different meanings and may or may not have the same pronunciation. An example of homographs would be "bow" (a knot or a weapon) and "bow" (to bend forward) as they are spelled identically but have different meanings.
Homonymy can lead to confusion and ambiguity, especially in written communication. Understanding the context in which the words are used is crucial to determine their intended meaning. In some cases, the use of additional words or cues may be necessary to disambiguate the meaning of homonyms.
Overall, homonymy highlights the intricacies of language and the potential for multiple meanings that can arise from a common form.
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Sameness in name, with difference in signification; ambiguity.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for HOMONYMY
- gomonymy
- bomonymy
- nomonymy
- jomonymy
- uomonymy
- yomonymy
- himonymy
- hkmonymy
- hlmonymy
- hpmonymy
- h0monymy
- h9monymy
- hojonymy
- hominymy
- homknymy
- homlnymy
- hompnymy
- hom0nymy
- hom9nymy
Etymology of HOMONYMY
The word homonymy is derived from the combination of two Greek roots: homo, meaning same, and onyma, meaning name.
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