heteronym
- noun
- /ˈhɛtərəˌnɪm/
- Specialized
- A classic example of a heteronym is the word 'lead,' which can mean to guide or refer to the metal, pronounced differently in each case.
Examples
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One only needs to remember that the heteronym will be written the same, yet will be pronounced differently.
Academic text (2015) -
Therefore, deriving meaning of the heteronym requires that we use the word in context!
Academic text (2015) -
The heteronym is perhaps the most difficult for the student.
Academic text (2015) -
And this is particularly true in several of the heteronyms such as Alberto Cairo and Alvaro de Campos.
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Without ever resolving the polarization, I placed the heteronyms at the center of the novel—a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of a sort; a salamander.
Fiction book (1993) -
Note Fernando Pessoa—the Portuguese poet whose last name means "person" and who divided himself and his writing among a few dozen other persons whom he called heteronyms—used at least thirty notebooks throughout his writing life, but he never actually kept a notebook.
Academic text (2009) -
Understanding a heteronym like 'tear' can be confusing, as it can mean to rip something or a drop of liquid from the eye, depending on the pronunciation.
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Teachers often explain that a heteronym such as 'wind' can refer to air in motion or the act of turning something, highlighting its distinct meanings.
Synonyms
A word with the same spelling or sound as another word but a different meaning
A word written the same as another but with a different meaning and sometimes a different sound
Surface Forms
Morphology
heteronym = onym (semi-transparent) = hetero + onym
Built from 'hetero-' (different) + '-onym' (name); the literal 'different name' is clear, but the precise linguistic sense (same spelling with different pronunciation/meaning) is a technical usage not fully predictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Heteronym comes from Greek parts hetero- meaning 'different' and -onym meaning 'name', the same ending you see in synonym and pseudonym. So a heteronym is a word that is spelled the same as another but has a different 'name', that is, a different sound and meaning.