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paronym

Pronunciation: /ˈparənɪm/

Definition of paronym

noun

Linguistics
  • a word which is a derivative of another and has a related meaning:‘wisdom’ is a paronym of ‘wise’
  • a word formed by adaptation of a foreign word: ‘preface’ is a paronym of Latin ‘prefatio’Contrasted with heteronym.

Derivatives

paronymous

Pronunciation: /pəˈrɒnɪməs/

adjective

paronymy

Pronunciation: /pəˈrɒnəmi/

noun

Origin:

mid 19th century: from Greek parōnumon, neuter (used as a noun) of parōnumos 'naming by modification', from para- 'beside' + onuma 'a name'

paronym in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of paronym in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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