Homonyms have the same form and different meanings.
Homonyms are words that have the same form but a different meaning . Before moving forward, it is important to know the etymological origin of the two components that give shape to the concept: word derives from the Greek parabolé , while homonym comes from the Greek homonyms . This term is the result of the sum of homos , which can be translated as “equal” , and onoma , which is synonymous with “name” .
It should be noted that homonym is an adjective that is used to name objects or individuals that share the same name or words that are spelled the same but mean different things .
Types of homonymous words
Depending on their characteristics, homonymous words can be classified as homographs or homophones .
In homographs, the spelling is exactly the same. An example of this type of notion is “coma” , a term with several meanings. It may be a derivation of the verb eat ( "Don't insist: there's no way I'm eating that" ), a punctuation mark ( "When you list several things in a text, it's best to separate each one with a comma" ) or of the state in which a patient is ( “Julio has been in a coma for four months” ). In these cases, the different forms of “comma” constitute homonymous words.
Homophones , on the other hand, sound the same even if they are not spelled the same. Like the rest of the homonymous words, they have different meanings. Let's look at the case of “would open” and “would have” . The first term is a conjugation of the verb to open , while the second, a conjugation of the verb to have : “Every time I opened the door, I hoped to find her,” “We would have to see if our Internet access provider also offers mobile communications services . This shows, therefore, that “would open” and “would have” are also homonymous words.
Baya and wow are homonymous words.
Some examples
Among the main homonymous words used in everyday language we could highlight the following:
- As , which means “card” or “champion,” and has , which is a verbal form of haber.
- Bleat , which is the typical sound that the sheep makes, and valido , which is a prime minister.
- Berry , which is what a wild fruit with a pleasant flavor is called, or go , which is a verbal form of go.
- Goods , which is synonymous with a set of possessions, and comes , from the verb to come.
- Dribbling , which is used to indicate that a ball is being thrown, and voting , which indicates the action by which a person gives their support to one of the candidates in an election.
- To err , which means to make a mistake, and to shoe , which is the action by which horseshoes are put on a horse.
- Vello , which is synonymous with hair, and bello , which is an adjective that can be translated as beautiful.
- Cabo , which is used to indicate one of the geographical features that exist as well as a military officer with a certain rank, and cavo , which is a form of the verb to dig.