homograph
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also Homograph
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From homo-, from Ancient Greek ὁμός (homos, “same”) + -graph, from Ancient Greek γράφος (graphos, “that which is written”).
Pronunciation [edit]
- (RP) IPA: /ˈhɒməɡrɑːf/, /ˈhəʊməɡræf/
- (US) IPA: /ˈhɑːməɡræf/, /ˈhoʊməɡræf/
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,Audio (US) (file) Audio (US) (file)
Noun [edit]
homograph (plural homographs)
- A word that is spelled the same as another word, usually having a different etymology, such as "bear", the animal, and "bear", to support, to tolerate, etc.
Usage notes [edit]
Homographs are a kind of homonym in the loose sense of that term, i.e. a word that is either a homophone (same sound) or a homograph (same spelling). (The strict sense of homonym is a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word.) Specifically, homographs must have the same spelling, though they usually have different meanings and may be pronounced differently.
- The verb bear (“to carry”) and the noun bear (“large omnivorous mammal”) are homographs with the same pronunciation and different etymological origins.
- The verb alternate (“to go back and forth”) and the adjective alternate (“following by turns”) are homographs with different pronunciations but close etymological origins. Such homographs are also heteronyms.
- The verb meet (“to encounter”) and the noun meat (“food”) are not homographs since they have different spellings.
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
word with the same spelling but different meaning
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See also [edit]
| Nym | Sound | Spelling | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| homonym | same | same | |
| heteronym | different | same | (cat) |
| homograph | not specified | same | |
| homophone | same | different | (cat) |
| heterophone | different | different | |
| synonym | different | different |
