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homophones

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Definition:

Two or more words (such as knew and new or meat and meet) that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and often spelling. Adjective: homophonous. See also:

Etymology:

From the Latin, "same sound"

Examples:

  • "Her technique is a model, to some observers, of what makes an interview great; to others, of what makes an interview grate."
    (on Barbara Walters, "Not for Women Only," Time, Feb. 21, 1972)


  • "Would you have supposed that cue/queue would give trouble? A cue is a hint; a queue is the long line at the airline counter, the one headed by a guy going to Ankara by way of Fort Worth. In New Jersey, 'executives at large firms are increasingly taking queues from small business.' In Florida, TV comedian Imogene Coca recalled a time when a technician 'had no queue cards.' In Bloomington, Ind., last April, police raided a tavern after they received a queue from officers inside. There's no way to blame these boners on typographical errors. The writers tripped over homophones."
    (James J. Kilpatrick, "The Writer's Art," Nov. 15, 1992)


  • The noun peace (freedom from strife) and the noun piece (a part of a larger thing). Peace comes from the Latin word pax. Piece comes from the Vulgar Latin word pettia.


  • "A solid-gold Bloopie to Bergdorf Goodman, for the phrase 'Discrete extravagance. . . .' The word meaning 'cautious, prudent, wary, tight-lipped' is discreet, which forms a nice oxymoron with extravagance; but the homophone discrete means 'separate, distinct, unattached, removed from.'"
    (William Safire, "On Language," The New York Times, April 22, 1990)


  • "Homophone corner: 'He has in principal agreed to support [a school] with a partner in north Kensington.'"
    (reported by readers' editor Siobhain Butterworth in The Guardian, Nov. 29, 2007)

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