| homophone |
| Definition: A word that is pronounced the same as another word, but which has a different meaning. Note: The words may or may not be spelled the same. |
| Example:
(1) sea (water) and see (vision) (2) mean (intent) and mean (average). |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Greek homos, one and the same + phone, voice or sound. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first OED citation is from 1843: "An alphabet composed of 16 distinct articulations, for each of which there was a number more or less great of homophones — i.e. symbols differing in figure, though identical in sound." ( Gliddon Anc. Egypt (1850) 6/2) |