HETERONYM
HETERONYM, also heterograph. A WORD that is spelt the same as another, but has a different meaning and often pronunciation. There are three heteronyms in the following passage: ‘Heteronyms must incense foreign learners! I can't imagine a number feeling than if they spent hours learning a common English word, a minute little word, then found a second meaning and pronunciation!’ (opening to ‘Heteronyms’, David Bergeron, English Today 24, Oct. 1990). See HOMONYM, -ONYM.
More From encyclopedia.com
Word , WORD
WORD A fundamental term in both the general and technical discussion of language. The following selection of primary definitions of word is draw… Loanword , LOANWORD, also loan-word, loan word. A WORD taken into one language from another: in English, garage from French, leitmotif from German. Such words a… Plural , PLURAL
PLURAL A term contrasting with SINGULAR (and dual) in the NUMBER system of a language. In English, it refers to ‘more than one’ (one and a hal… Dictionary , DICTIONARY A generic name for a kind of reference book, usually devoted to the definition of words entered in alphabetic order, such as the Collins E… Etymology , ETYMOLOGY
ETYMOLOGY Both the study of the history of words and a statement of the origin and history of a WORD, including changes in its form and mea… Keyword , KEYWORD, also key word.
1. A WORD that serves as a crucial (‘key’) element in a usage, phrase, sentence, text, subject, concept, theory, or language:…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
HETERONYM