• synonym •
Printable Version Pronunciation: sin-ê-nim • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A word with a meaning identical or nearly identical to that of another words, such as couch and sofa, faucet and spigot. If it were spelled with an [i] (sinonym), it would be a sturdy substitute for "curse word". But it isn't.
Notes: The paronyms of synonym include the noun, synonymy, and two adjectives: synonymic and the much more popular synonymous [sê-non-ê-mês]. We saw yesterday that there are paronyms for paronym but there would seem to be no synonym for synonym.
In Play: This 'nym is the most popular of all and is widely used metaphorically already: "New Monia is a synonym for healthy living far from the crowded city." It is so popular, in fact, most people already know how to pronounce the adjective. I am sure you have heard advertisements similar to this: "The restaurant at Eaton Place is synonymous with fine dining at expectable prices."
Word History: This word is yet another that came to Middle English down the by-now familiar Greek-Latin-French chute. It originates in Greek sunonymos "synonymous", comprising syn (sym-, syl-) "(together) with, same" + our old friend onyma "name" + an adjective suffix. Syn is assumed to come from a PIE root like *ksun "with", for Latin has a preposition con (com, col-, cor-, etc.) with the same meaning. Russian and other Slavic languages have a related preposition, s(o), meaning "(together) with", which is also used as a prefix in words like sputnik "fellow traveler" and soviet "council". Need more 'nyms? We have pages of them here.
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