What is the meaning of the word homonyms

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In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either homographs – words that have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation) – or homophones – words that have the same pronunciation (regardless of spelling) –, or both.^[1] Using this definition, the words row (propel with oars), row (a linear arrangement) and row (an argument) are homonyms because they are homographs (though only the first two are homophones): so are the words see (vision) and sea (body of water), because they are homophones (though not homographs).

A more restrictive and technical definition requires that homonyms be simultaneously homographs and homophones^[1] – that is to say they have identical spelling and pronunciation, but with different meanings. Examples are the pair stalk (part of a plant) and stalk (follow/harass a person) and the pair left (past tense of leave) and left (opposite of right).

A distinction is sometimes made between true homonyms, which are unrelated in origin, such as skate (glide on ice) and skate (the fish), and polysemous homonyms, or polysemes, which have a shared origin, such as mouth (of a river) and mouth (of an animal).^[2][3]

The relationship between a set of homonyms is called homonymy, and the associated adjective is homonymous, homonymic, or in latin, equivocal.

The adjective «homonymous» can additionally be used wherever two items share the same name,^[4][5] independent of how closely they are or are not related in terms of their meaning or etymology. For example, the name Ōkami is homonymous with the Japanese term for «wolf» (ōkami).

Etymology[edit]

The word homonym comes from the Greek ὁμώνυμος (homonymos), meaning «having the same name»,^[6] compounded from ὁμός (homos) ‘common, same, similar’^[7] and ὄνομα (onoma) ‘name’.^[8]

[edit]

Term	Meaning	Spelling	Pronunciation
Homonym	Different	Same	Same
Homograph	Different	Same	(No requirement)
Homophone word	Different	(No requirement)	Same
Homophone phrase	Different	Different	Same to varying degree
Heteronym	Different	Same	Different
Heterograph	Different	Different	Same
Polyseme	Different but related	Same	(No requirement)
Capitonym	Different when capitalized	Same except for capitalization	(No requirement)
Synonym	Same	Different	Different
Antonym	Opposite	Different	Different
Auto-antonym	Opposite	Same	(No requirement)
Synophone	Different	Different	Similar[9]
Cognate	Same	Similar	Similar

Several similar linguistic concepts are related to homonymy. These include:

• Homographs (literally «same writing») are usually defined as words that share the same spelling, regardless of how they are pronounced.^{[note 1]} If they are pronounced the same then they are also homophones (and homonyms) – for example, bark (the sound of a dog) and bark (the skin of a tree). If they are pronounced differently then they are also heteronyms – for example, bow (the front of a ship) and bow (a ranged weapon).
• Homophones (literally «same sound») are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.^{[note 2]} If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs (literally «different writing»). Homographic examples include rose (flower) and rose (past tense of rise). Heterographic examples include to, too, two, and there, their, they’re. Due to their similar yet non-identical pronunciation in American English, ladder and latter do not qualify as homophones, but rather synophones.^[10]
• Heteronyms (literally «different name») are the subset of homographs (words that share the same spelling) that have different pronunciations (and meanings).^{[note 3]} Such words include desert (to abandon) and desert (arid region); tear (to rip) and tear (a drop of moisture formed in one eye); row (to argue or an argument) and row (as in to row a boat or a row of seats – a pair of homophones). Heteronyms are also sometimes called heterophones (literally «different sound»).
• Polysemes are words with the same spelling and distinct but related meanings. The distinction between polysemy and homonymy is often subtle and subjective, and not all sources consider polysemous words to be homonyms. Words such as mouth, meaning either the orifice on one’s face, or the opening of a cave or river, are polysemous and may or may not be considered homonyms.
• Capitonyms are words that share the same spelling but have different meanings when capitalized (and may or may not have different pronunciations). Such words include polish (make shiny) and Polish (from Poland); march (walk in step) and March (the third month of the Year) and the pair: reading (using a book) and Reading (towns in, among other places, England).

Further examples[edit]

A homonym which is both a homophone and a homograph is fluke, meaning:

• A fish, and a flatworm.
• The end parts of an anchor.
• The fins on a whale’s tail.
• A stroke of luck.

These meanings represent at least three etymologically separate lexemes, but share the one form, fluke.*^[11] Fluke is also a capitonym, in that Fluke Corporation (commonly referred to as simply «Fluke») is a manufacturer of industrial testing equipment.

Similarly, a river bank, a savings bank, a bank of switches, and a bank shot in the game of pool share a common spelling and pronunciation, but differ in meaning.

The words bow and bough are examples where there are two meanings associated with a single pronunciation and spelling (the weapon and the knot); two meanings with two different pronunciations (the knot and the act of bending at the waist), and two distinct meanings sharing the same sound but different spellings (bow, the act of bending at the waist, and bough, the branch of a tree). In addition, it has several related but distinct meanings – a bent line is sometimes called a ‘bowed’ line, reflecting its similarity to the weapon. Even according to the most restrictive definitions, various pairs of sounds and meanings of bow, Bow and bough are homonyms, homographs, homophones, heteronyms, heterographs, capitonyms and are polysemous.

• bow – a long stick with horse hair that is used to play certain string instruments such as the violin
• bow – to bend forward at the waist in respect (e.g. «bow down»)
• bow – the front of the ship (e.g. «bow and stern»)
• bow – a kind of tied ribbon (e.g. bow on a present, a bowtie)
• bow – to bend outward at the sides (e.g. a «bow-legged» cowboy)
• Bow – a district in London
• bow – a weapon to shoot projectiles with (e.g. a bow and arrow)

A lime can refer to a fruit or a material. A mold (mould) can refer to a fungus or an industrial cast.

The words there, their, and they’re are examples of three words that are of a singular pronunciation, have different spellings and vastly different meanings. These three words are commonly misused (or, alternatively, misspelled).

• there – «The bow shot the arrow there,» he said as he pointed.
• their – «It was their bow and arrow.» the Mother said.
• they’re – They’re not going to get to shoot the bow again after puncturing the tire (tyre) on Daddy’s car. (Contraction of They and Are.)

The words metal and mettle are polysemes and homophones, but not homographs.

Homonyms in historical linguistics[edit]

Homonymy can lead to communicative conflicts and thus trigger lexical (onomasiological) change.^[12] This is known as homonymic conflict. This leads to a species of informal fallacy of thought and argument called by the latin name equivocation.

See also[edit]

• False friends, words from different languages that appear similar but differ in meaning
• Synonyms, different words with identical or very similar meanings (conceptual inversion of «homonym»)
• Riddle
• Word play

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Christman, Robert (2002). Homonyms: Why English Suffers (Paperback). Las Cruces, New Mexico: Barbed Wire Publishing. ISBN 9780971193055.
• Hobbs, James B. (November 2014). Homophones and Homographs: An American Dictionary (E-book) (4th ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9781476603933.
• Joshi, Manik (June 25, 2014). Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs (E-book). Manik Joshi. ISBN 9781468948554.
• Rothwell · 2007, David (2007). Dictionary of Homonyms (Paperback). Ware England: Wordsworth Reference. ISBN 9781840225426.

Ever chat to your friend about baking bread, and you’re both confused between needing some flour and kneading some flour because neither of you has provided further context? That’s an example of homonymy, words with different meanings but pronounced and/or spelt the same. The definition of homonymy is rather broad, as it covers both the pronunciation and the spelling. , which we will explain further with some examples and comparisons to other lexically ambiguous words!

• Do you have a rubber band?
• My band is performing tonight.

• We band every bird to track their movements.

Some other examples of homonymy are:

Address:

• Your essay fails to address the main issue. = give attention to a problem (verb)

Park:

• You can’t park your car here. = to leave a vehicle somewhere for some time (verb).
• Are you heading to the park now? = a public place with fields and trees (noun).

Tender:

• After the accident, he needs some tender loving care. = gentle (adjective).
• Your firm submitted the lowest tender. = a formal offer to supply goods or do work at a stated price (noun).

Skirt:

• Every night she rocks her baby to sleep. = to move backwards and forwards (verb).
• Yesterday’s storm forced the ship onto the rocks. = a mass of rock standing in the sea (noun).

Rose:

• Someone left you a rose. = a type of flower (noun).
• The price rose significantly last month. = to increase (verb — the past form of ‘rise’).

Types of homonymy

Homonymy can be further subdivided into more specific types that only concern either spelling or pronunciation. These are called homophones and homographs respectively.

Fig 3 — Homonyms can be further broken down into homophones and homographs.

• Sorry, I don’t eat meat. (noun)
• Let’s meet again tomorrow! (verb)

Sun-son

• The sun is hiding behind the clouds. (noun)
• My son is going to university next year. (noun)

Plain — plane

• I like your idea. It’s plain and simple. (adjective)
• The plane is having some problems at the moment. (noun)

Bow

Desert

A pun is a literary device that plays on words using two identical or similar sounding words with different and/or contradictory meanings. The first meaning is usually quite reasonable, while the secondary meaning is less sensitive.

For example:

Homonym wordplay is more effective in spoken communication than in writing because the humorous effects are more pronounced when the spelling is not defined. However, if the homonyms are cleverly constructed, they can produce some witty results.

• Waiter, will the pancakes be long? — No, sir, round
• What did the chess piece say before bed? — Knight knight
• What is ice cream’s favorite day of the week? — Sundae

• (2) bound = constrained; and,
• (3) bound = leap. Romeo still refuses Mercutio’s suggestion and here he replies, I’m too sore after being hit by the Cupid’s arrow to soar with his light feather. I’m being constrained by this love. I can’t leap.

Shakespeare uses the combination of main — Maine several times in this excerpt from Henry VI. These are homophones. Warwick repeats the word main as a transitional means (sound unit) to redefine Maine, the French county. Then, he adds meant (a variant of main — Maine) in between the last homophonic pair (3).

Reading the text may not cause ambiguity since you can read the words and know exactly what each word means. However, if you watch the play or only hear this wordplay, it may cause some confusion.

Example 3: Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (1865).

The words flour — flower are homophones because they’re pronounced the same but written differently. Of course, to make bread we need flour, not flower, but by playing with words in this way, Carroll provides some comical impressions of the characters.

The words ground — ground are homonyms because they’re pronounced and written the same but have different meanings. The first ground refers to ‘the surface of the earth’, while the second one means ‘an area of land’.

Polysemies:

Asked by: Amiya Nikolaus

Score: 4.8/5
(60 votes)

In linguistics, homonyms, broadly defined, are words which are homographs or homophones, or both.
A more restrictive or technical definition sees homonyms as words that are simultaneously homographs and homophones – that is to say they have identical spelling and pronunciation, whilst maintaining different meanings.

What is an example of a homonym?

Homonyms are two or more words with the same spelling or pronunciation, but with different meanings. … One of the most common examples of a homonym in English is the word ‘bat’. ‘Bat’ can mean a piece of equipment you use in some sports, and it’s also the name of an animal.

What is homonyms define with examples any two?

Homonyms are words that have different meanings but are pronounced the same or spelled the same. The word homonym can be used as a synonym for both homophone and homograph. … There, their, and they’re are homophones. But so are bark (the sound a dog makes) and bark (the covering of a tree).

What is a homonym word?

Homonyms may be words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings, such as to, too, and two. Or they may be words with both identical pronunciations and identical spellings but different meanings, such as quail (the bird) and quail (to cringe).

What is a homonyms sentence?

27 related questions found

Homonyms
are words which are identical in sound and spelling, or, at least, in
one of these aspects, but different in their meaning, e.g. bank, n-a
shore, bank, n-an institution for receiving, lending, and
safeguarding money, ball, n-a sphere, any spherical body, ball, n-a
large dancing party.

The
most widely accepted classification of homonyms is the following:
homonyms proper, homophones and homographs.

Homonyms
proper
are words identical in pronunciation and spelling, like bark, in “the
noise made by a dog”, bark, n “the skin of a tree».

Homophones
are
words of the same sound but of different spelling and meaning:
air-heir, buy-bye, knight-night, peace-piece, write, right, rite.

Homographs
are
words different in sound and in meaning but accidentally identical in
spelling: bow [bou] – bow [bau], lead [li: d] – lead [led], row
[rou] – row [rau], wind [wind] – wind [waind].

Professor
A. I. Smirnitsky classified homonyms into two large classes: full
homonyms and partial homonyms.

Full
lexical homonyms are words which represent the same category of parts
of speech and have the same paradigm. Ex. Match, n – a game, a
contest —— Match, n — a short piece of wood used for producing
fire.

Partial
homonyms are subdivided into three large groups:

A)
Simple lexico-grammatical homonyms words which belong to the same
category of parts of speech. Their paradigms have one identical form,
but it is never the same form (to find – found (Past Indef., Past
Part. of to find)

B)
Complex lexico-grammatical partial homonyms are words of different
categories of part of speech which have one identical form in their
paradigms. e.g. rose, n — rose, v (Past Indef. Of to rise)

C)
Partial lexical homonyms are words of the same category of parts of
speech which are identical only in their corresponding forms. (to
hang (hung, hung), v — to hang (hanged, hanged), to can (canned,
canned — can (could).

Sources of homonyms

One
of the sources of homonyms is phonetic
changes
which words undergo in the course of their historical development. As
a result of such changes, two or more words which were formerly
pronounced differently may develop identical sound forms and thus
become homonyms. (Night and knight).

Borrowing
is another source of homonyms. A borrowed word may, in the final
stage of its phonetic adaptation, duplicate in form either a native
word or another borrowing. Bank, n (“shore”) – is a native
word, and bank, n (“a financial institution”) is an Italian
borrowing.

Word-building
also contributes significantly to the growth of homonymy, and the
most important type in this respect is undoubtedly conversion. Such
pairs of words as comb, n. — to comb, v., pale, adj. — to pale,
v., to make, v. — make, n. are numerous in the vocabulary. Homonyms
of this type, which are the same in sound and spelling but refer to
different categories of parts of speech, are called
lexico-grammatical
homonyms.

Shortening
is a further type of word-building which increases the number of
homonyms. E. g. fan, n. in the sense of «an enthusiastic admirer of
sport or of an actor, singer, etc.» is a shortening produced from
fanatic. Its homonym is a Latin borrowing fan, n. which denotes an
implement for waving lightly to produce a cool current of air.

Words
made by sound-imitation
can also form pairs of homonyms with other words: e. g. bang, n. («a
loud, sudden, explosive noise») — bang, n. («a fringe of hair
combed over the forehead»). Also: mew, n. («the sound a cat makes»)
— mew, n. («a sea gull»).

Two
or more homonyms can originate from different meanings of the same
word when, for some reason, the semantic structure of the word breaks
into several parts. This type of formation of homonyms is called
split
polysemy.

board,
n. — a long and thin piece of timber board, n. — daily meals,
esp. as provided for pay, e. g. room and board

board,
n. — an official group of persons who direct or supervise some
activity, e. g. a board of directors

spring,
n. — the act of springing, a leap spring, n. — a place where a
stream of water comes up out of the earth (R. родник, источник)
spring, n. — a season of the year.

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Homonyms are defined as a word that has the same spelling and even the exact pronunciation of another set of words but has two distinctly different meanings. The origin of the syntax of the phrase also differs, while the spelling remains the same. The state of being a homonym is called homonymy.

The term ‘Homonyms’ is a prefix ‘homo’ which refers to ‘the same’ and the suffix ‘-nym’ which refers to ‘the name’. Hence, the term Homonyms are referred to as the words that sound alike but possess entirely different meanings. Homonyms either sound the same or are spelled the same; however, the only difference is in their definitions.

The most common example of homonyms could be the word “pen” as this word can be used as describing “a holding area for animals» as well as for describing as a “writing instrument”. One more such example could be “book” as we can use this word for expressing our wish to “get something to read” plus also can be used when we are talking about “making a reservation for the train”.

Homonyms Examples

Here are ten examples of Homonyms with sentences to showcase the confusion of understanding the concept. 

1. Blue: Rita’s favorite color is blue.

Blew: Samuel picked a tissue and blew his nose.

1. Idol: Adam Levine is the idol of all the young singers in the industry.

Idle: Ariana was sitting idle but did not complete the homework piled up.

1. Flies: Time flies like an arrow – Here, the word ‘flies’ is a verb and implies the act of passing away. 

Flies: Fruit flies like bananas – Here, the word flies is a noun, as in a fly, an insect.

1. Flair: She had a flair for singing.

Flare: A flare of spark went through her hand when she met with an accident.

1. Holy: Kashi is a well-known holy place as well as a tourist attraction spot. 

Wholly: The claims from the insurance are whole without the interest.

1. Die: Doctors said that Tim would die as she is suffering from a bBrain tTumour.

Dye: Ameilia dyed her hair purple.

1. Fined: Aaron was fined ten thousand rupees for being drunk and driving.

Find:- Vincent could not find Sam at the concert.

1. Gait: The group saw the gait (the walking style) of a Lion in the zoo.

Gate: The guard opened the gate and let the students outside the school.

1. Censor: The film got approval from the censor board.

Sensor: There are sensor water taps and sanitizer disposal in the office building, and there is no need to touch them.

1. Baron: Lionel’s mother is a press baron (here the word means an important person).

Barren: The Liverpool hall was once a barren building.

Homographs and Homophones

There are two standard subdivisions of homonyms – Homographs and Homophones.  

Homograph

The term homograph is an amalgamation of two Greek words – ‘homos’, which refers to «same,» and the word ‘graph’, which means, «to write.» Thus, hHomograph is defined as words that are written identically with the same spelling but don’t share the same meaning. Here, the pronunciations may also differ at times. Homographs are words that are often confusing to grasp at first, but once you hear them spoken aloud or read them in the context of a sentence, you will quickly figure out which word is intended.

Some examples of homographs are as follows:- The word «lead» is common. The term is applicable in two ways – the first word means to guide or pilot someone or something.  The second meaning of lead is in a noun form, as in the metal. The word ‘to shut’ means to close, and another applied purpose is close. The term ‘bass’ means deep, and also means fish.

Homophones

The term homophone is an amalgamation of two Greek words – ‘homos’, which refers to «same,» and the word phone, which means, «sound.» Thus, a homophone is defined as the words that have the same pronunciation or sound but hold distinctly different meanings. However, the terms are either of the exact spelling or different. 

Some examples of Homophones are as follows:- the word Dessert and Desert. Dessert is a standard reference to the sweets that are consumed at the end of the meal while the term — Dessert, refers to a barren land or abandoning something.

The words two, to, and too are another example of homophones – they hold the same pronunciation but have different meanings and spellings. Another example of a homophone is Altar and Alter that keep the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings.