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heteronym

Syllabification: (het·er·o·nym)
Pronunciation: /ˈhetərəˌnim/

Definition of heteronym

noun

Linguistics
  • 1each of two or more words that are spelled identically but have different sounds and meanings, such as tear meaning “rip” and tear meaning “liquid from the eye.”.
  • 2each of two or more words that are used to refer to the identical thing in different geographical areas of a speech community, such as submarine sandwich, hoagie, and grinder.
  • 3each of two words having the same meaning but derived from unrelated sources, for example preface and foreword. Contrasted with paronym.

Derivatives

heteronymic

Pronunciation: /ˌhetərəˈnimik/

adjective

heteronymous

Pronunciation: /ˌhetəˈränəməs/

adjective

heteronym in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of heteronym in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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