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Friday, May 05, 2006

FYI


I was asked a question concerning the correction of a misspelling. They didn't seem to understand, that the spelling makes a difference with some words. At that point I realized. You can't take for granted that people know these things. Below I have given definitions to make the messages clearer. Being aware of these things have helped me tremendously.

Antonym Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'an-t&-"nim
: a word of opposite meaning

Homonym Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'hä-m&-"nim, 'hO-
Etymology: Latin homonymum, from Greek homOnymon, from neuter of homOnymos
1 : one of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning (as the noun quail and the verb quail)


Metonym a word used in me·ton·y·my
Function: noun
Pronunciation: m&-'tä-n&-me
Inflected Form(s): plural -mies
Etymology: Latin metonymia, from Greek metOnymia, from meta- + -Onymon -onym
: a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated (as "crown" in "lands belonging to the crown")


Synonym Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'si-n&-"nim
Etymology: Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synonymum, from Greek synOnymon, from neuter of synOnymos synonymous, from syn- + onyma name -- more at NAME
1 : one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses

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