het·er·o·nym (h t  r--n m )n. One of two or more words that have identical spellings but different meanings and pronunciations, such as row (a series of objects arranged in a line), pronounced (r  ), and row (a fight), pronounced (rou).[Back-formation from heteronymous.] |
heteronym [ˈhɛtərəʊˌnɪm]
n
(Linguistics) one of two or more words pronounced differently but spelt alike the two English words spelt ``bow'' are heteronyms Compare homograph
[from Late Greek heteronumos, from Greek hetero- + onoma name]
heteronymous [ˌhɛtəˈrɒnɪməs] adj
heteronymously adv
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | heteronym - two words are heteronyms if they are spelled the same way but differ in pronunciation; "the word `bow' is an example of a heteronym" word - a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he hardly said ten words all morning" |
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