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MC Banana Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary
Term for synonyms of different origins
Is there any special term for two words that have the same meaning but different etymological backgrounds, like romance and germanic origin, which is the most common combination in English?
e.g. dove (germanic) - pigeon (romance)
heavenly (germanic) - celestial (romance)
e.g. dove (germanic) - pigeon (romance)
heavenly (germanic) - celestial (romance)
Top answer
Hi I think you just have to say 'etymological diversity'. And that's partly because the words never do mean the same thing. The doves are the smaller ones that have a way of swooping down elegantly; the pigeons, no offence lads, tend to be seen eating pizza in Trafalgar Square Dave
- Hi I think you just have to say 'etymological diversity'.
- And that's partly because the words never do mean the same thing.
- The doves are the smaller ones that have a way of swooping down elegantly; the pigeons, no offence lads, tend to be seen eating pizza in Trafalgar Square Dave
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2 Answers
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Hi
I think you just have to say 'etymological diversity'. And that's partly because the words never do mean the same thing. The doves are the smaller ones that have a way of swooping down elegantly; the pigeons, no offence lads, tend to be seen eating pizza in Trafalgar Square
Dave
I think you just have to say 'etymological diversity'. And that's partly because the words never do mean the same thing. The doves are the smaller ones that have a way of swooping down elegantly; the pigeons, no offence lads, tend to be seen eating pizza in Trafalgar Square
Dave
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Hi
Having said that, there is the phrase '.. is cognate with .." It doesn't mean that the two words have the same meaning, but it does mean that they derive from a similar root and for a similar purpose . So, "shirt" is cognate with "skirt". The two words have different meanings but both come from the Icelandic word for a piece of cloth cut for a garment
Probably cognate also i
Having said that, there is the phrase '.. is cognate with .." It doesn't mean that the two words have the same meaning, but it does mean that they derive from a similar root and for a similar purpose . So, "shirt" is cognate with "skirt". The two words have different meanings but both come from the Icelandic word for a piece of cloth cut for a garment
Probably cognate also i
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