Homonim

Bagi homonim dalam tatanama sains, lihat Homonim (biologi).

Homonim dalam bidang linguistik ialah sekumpulan perkataan yang berkongsi ejaan serta sebutan yang sama tetapi mempunyai makna yang berbeza, biasanya kerana perkataan-perkataan itu tidak berasal daripada punca yang sama. Keadaan bersifat honomim digelar homonimi.

The word "homonym" comes from the conjunction of the Greek prefix homo- (ὁμο-), meaning "same", and suffix -ṓnymos (-ώνυμος), meaning "name". Thus, it refers to two or more distinct concepts sharing the "same name" or signifier. The term is potentially ambiguous because there are a number of ways that two meanings can share the "same name"; thus it may be used in different ways by different speakers. In particular, some sources only require that homonyms share the same spelling or the same pronunciation (in addition to having different meanings), though these are the definitions that most other sources give for homographs and homophones respectively. There is similar disagreement about the definition of some of the related terms described below. This article explains what appear to be the "standard" meanings, and variant definitions are then summarized.

Examples of homonyms are stalk (which as a noun can mean part of a plant, and, as a verb, to follow/harass a person), bear (animal) and bear (carry), left (opposite of right) and left (past tense of leave). Some sources also consider the following trio of words to be homonyms, but others designate them as "only" homophones: to, too and two (actually, to, to, too, too and two, being "for the purpose of" as in "to make it easier", the opposite of "from", also, excessively, and "2", respectively).

Some sources state that homonym meanings must be unrelated in origin (rather than just different). Thus right (correct) and right (opposed to left) would be polysemous and not homonymous.

Pautan luar

• Information on teaching homophones including free ebook and teaching tips
• Alan Cooper's Homonym List (actually homophones, not homonyms, as he himself explains)
• Homophone Translator
• Etymologies
• Homonyms and Homophones - a very basic, but useful list