homonym

Where does the word "homonym" come from? It comes from Greek homōnymos, passing through Latin before entering English (1600s).

Homonym’s story begins in Greek: homōnymos meant “same-named.” 'having the same name', from 'homos', same, and 'onyma', name. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as homonymus. Used by grammarians. It reached English by 1600s as homonym. Taken up by grammarians to describe words like 'bank', river edge and money house. Today, homonym means a word with the same spelling or sound as another but a different meaning.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient homōnymos "same-named", 'having the same name', from 'homos', same, and 'onyma', name.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient homonymus "same-named", used by grammarians.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s homonym "homonym", taken up by grammarians to describe words like 'bank', river edge and money house.