homonym · noun — A word that sounds or is spelled the same as another word (but not necessarily both).; A word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word. It carries an Arena rating of 1562, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, homonym ranks #1,174 of 43,201 for Qualifying, #2,553 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #3,520 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,718 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words.
homonym is pronounced /ˈhɒmənɪm/.
Why “homonym” is a great word
A word that is spelled or pronounced the same as another word but has a different meaning. From Latin homōnymum, from Ancient Greek ὁμώνυμον (homṓnumon, "having the same name"), from ὁμώς (homṓs, "same") and ὄνυμα (ónuma, "name"). Unlike "homophone," which strictly denotes words that sound alike, or "homograph," which denotes words spelled alike, homonym is the broader, inclusive category. It is the jarring disconnect between a river bank and a savings bank, the hollow threat of a dull blade, and the fair where one might encounter something fair—a fleeting, superficial unity of form that underscores the profound and permanent isolation of meaning.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Latin homōnymum, from Ancient Greek ὁμώνυμον (homṓnumon), nominalized from the neuter of ὁμώνῠμος (homṓnŭmos, “homonymous”). By surface analysis, hom- + -onym.
noun
- A word that sounds or is spelled the same as another word (but not necessarily both).; A word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word.
- A word that sounds or is spelled the same as another word (but not necessarily both).; A name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another name that belongs to a different taxon.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- homophone 81% match — A word which is pronounced the same as another word but differs in spelling or meaning or origin. vs homonym →
- heteronymy 70% match — The condition of being heteronyms; the relationship between two words with different meanings and either the same spelling or the same pronunciation but not both. vs homonym →
- homonymously 70% match — In a homonymous manner, so as to have the same name or relation. vs homonym →
- heterograph 70% match — A word whose sound is the same, but spelling and meaning differ from another’s. vs homonym →
- homoform 68% match — One of two or more etymologically and semantically unrelated words with the same orthographical form (spelling), or phonetic form (pronunciation); a homonym, homograph, or homophone. vs homonym →
- homonymy 67% match — The property of being a homonym. vs homonym →
- homonymous 66% match — Having the same name as another (i.e., like a namesake). vs homonym →
- homographic 63% match — Spelled identically. vs homonym →