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Glite Dictionary
🦋 Similar traits, no ancestor 🗣️ Similar features, no origin
homoplasy

homoplasy

9.9
A feature that appears on its own in different languages or cultures without a common origin
  • noun
  • /ˌhoʊməˈplæzi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : homoplasia
  • Researchers debated whether the artifact's design was due to homoplasy or cultural exchange.

Examples

  • The similar grammatical structures in unrelated languages are an example of homoplasy.

  • In evolutionary linguistics, homoplasy complicates the tracing of language families.

  • The term homoplasy is often used in linguistics.

  • Many linguists study homoplasies to explore language similarities.

  • The similar grammatical structures in unrelated languages serve as a prime example of homoplasy.

  • Linguists often point to homoplasy to explain how distinct cultures can develop similar features independently.

  • In languages, homoplasy can lead to confusion when comparing linguistic characteristics across different language families.

Synonyms

homomorphy
vshomoplasy
  • Specialized
9.9

A similar shape in animals, plants, or objects that are not closely related

focuses on independent development causing similar traits across different cultures or languages

Surface Forms

homoplasy singular
homoplasies plural

Morphology

homoplasy = plasy (semi-transparent) = homo + plasy

The prefix 'homo-' ('same') is somewhat recognizable but the combining form '-plasy' is technical and unfamiliar to most learners.

Etymology

Homoplasy comes from Greek parts homo- meaning 'same' and -plasy meaning 'form' or 'shape'. So, when we talk about languages or objects, homoplasy means similar features that 'look the same' but appeared separately, not because they came from the same origin.