auto-antonym
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

An auto-antonym or autantonym, also called a contronym or antagonym among other terms, is a word with multiple meanings (
senses A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system rec ...
) of which one is the reverse of another. For example, the word '' cleave'' can mean "to cut apart" or "to bind together". This phenomenon is called enantiosemy, enantionymy ('' enantio-'' means "opposite"), antilogy or autantonymy. An enantiosemic term is necessarily
polysemic Polysemy ( or ; ) is the capacity for a sign (e.g. a symbol, a morpheme, a word, or a phrase) to have multiple related meanings. For example, a word can have several word senses. Polysemy is distinct from ''monosemy'', where a word has a single ...
.


Nomenclature

An auto-antonym is alternatively called an antagonym, contronym, contranym, enantiodrome, enantionym, Janus word (after the Roman god
Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...
, who is usually depicted with two faces), self-antonym, antilogy, or addad (Arabic, singular didd).


Linguistic mechanisms

Some pairs of contronyms are true
homograph A homograph (from the el, ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and γράφω, ''gráphō'', "write") is a word that shares the same written form as another word but has a different meaning. However, some dictionaries insist that the words must also ...
s, i.e., distinct words with different
etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
which happen to have the same form. For instance ''cleave'' "separate" is from
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''clēofan'', while ''cleave'' "adhere" is from Old English ''clifian'', which was pronounced differently. Other contronyms are a form of
polysemy Polysemy ( or ; ) is the capacity for a sign (e.g. a symbol, a morpheme, a word, or a phrase) to have multiple related meanings. For example, a word can have several word senses. Polysemy is distinct from ''monosemy'', where a word has a singl ...
, but where a single word acquires different and ultimately opposite definitions. For example, ''sanction''—"permit" or " penalize"; ''bolt'' (originally from
crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...
s)—"leave quickly" or "fix/immobilize"; ''fast''—"moving rapidly" or "unmoving". Some
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
examples result from
noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...
s being verbed in the patterns of "add <noun> to" and "remove <noun> from"; e.g. ''dust'', ''seed'', ''stone''.
Denotation In linguistics and philosophy, the denotation of an expression is its literal meaning. For instance, the English word "warm" denotes the property of being warm. Denotation is contrasted with other aspects of meaning including connotation. For inst ...
s and
connotation A connotation is a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that any given word or phrase carries, in addition to its explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation. A connotation is frequently described as either positive o ...
s can drift or branch over centuries. An
apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
l story relates how Charles II (or sometimes Queen Anne) described
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
(using contemporaneous English) as "," with the meaning (rendered in modern English) of "awe-inspiring, majestic, and ingeniously designed". Negative words such as and ''sick'' sometimes acquire ironic senses referring to traits that are impressive and admired, if not necessarily positive (''that outfit is bad as hell''; ''lyrics full of sick burns''). Some contronyms result from differences in
varieties of English Dialects are linguistic varieties that may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. For the classification of varieties of English only in terms of pronunciation, see regional accents of English. Overview Dialects can be defi ...
. For example, to ''
table Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...
'' a bill means "to put it up for debate" in
British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
, while it means "to remove it from debate" in
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
(where British English would have "shelve", which in this sense has an identical meaning in American English). To ''
barrack Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
'', in
Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and ''de facto'' national language; while Australia has no official language, Engli ...
, is to loudly demonstrate support, while in
British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
it is to express disapproval and contempt. Some words contain simultaneous opposing or competing meanings in the same context, rather than alternative meanings in different contexts; examples include
blend word In linguistics, a blend (sometimes called blend word, lexical blend, portmanteau or portmanteau word) is a word formed from parts of two or more other words. At least one of these parts is not a morph (the realization of a morpheme) but instead ...
s such as ''
coopetition Coopetition or co-opetition (sometimes spelled "coopertition" or "co-opertition") is a neologism coined to describe cooperative competition. Coopetition is a portmanteau of cooperation and competition. Basic principles of co-opetitive structures ...
'' (meaning a murky blend of cooperation and competition), ''
frenemy "Frenemy" (also spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend ...
'' (meaning a murky blend of friend and enemy), ''
glocalization Glocalization or Glocalisation (a portmanteau of ''globalization'' and '' localism'') is the "simultaneous occurrence of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies in contemporary social, political, and economic systems." The notion of gloca ...
'', etc. These are not usually classed as contronyms, but they share the theme of containing opposing meanings. In
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, has the double meaning "sacred, holy" and "accursed, infamous". Greek gave Latin its , from which English got its ''
demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge () is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term ''demiurge''. Al ...
'', which can refer either to
God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
as the creator or to the
devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
, depending on philosophical context. In some languages, a word stem associated with a single event may treat the action of that event as unitary, so in translation it may appear contronymic. For example, Latin can be translated as both "guest" and "host". In some varieties of English, ''
borrow Borrow or borrowing can mean: to receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it. *In finance, monetary debt *In language, the use of loanwords * In arithmetic, when a digit becomes less than zero and the deficiency is taken f ...
'' may mean both "borrow" and "lend".


Examples


English

* ''Cleave'' can mean "to cling" or "to split apart". * ''Clip'' can mean "attach" or "cut off". * ''Dust'' can mean "to remove dust” (cleaning a house) or "to add dust" (e.g., to dust a cake with powdered sugar). * ''Fast'' can mean "without moving; fixed in place", (holding fast, also as in "steadfast"), or "moving quickly". * ''Obbligato'' in music can refer to a passage that is either "obligatory" or "optional". * ''Oversight'' can mean "accidental omission or error", or "close scrutiny and control". * ''Peruse'' can mean to "consider with attention and in detail" or "look over or through in a casual or cursory manner". * ''Ravel'' can mean "to separate" (e.g., threads in cloth) or "to entangle". * ''Sanction'' can mean "approve" or "penalize". * ''Table'' can mean "to discuss a topic at a meeting" (''British English'') or "to postpone discussion of a topic" (''American English'').


Other languages


Nouns

* The Korean language, Korean noun (''ap'') may mean either "future" or "past" (distinguished by context).


Verbs

* The
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
verb '' ausleihen'', the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
verb '' lenen'', the
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
verb pożyczyć, the
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
verb одолжить (''odolžítʹ''), the
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
verb '' lainata'', and the
Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...
verb prunti can mean either "to lend" or "to borrow", with case, pronouns, and mention of persons making the sense clear. The verb stem conveys that "a lending-and-borrowing event is occurring", and the other cues convey who is lending to whom. This makes sense because anytime lending is occurring, borrowing is simultaneously occurring; one cannot happen without the other. * The
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
verb ''a închiria'', the French verb ''louer'', and the Finnish verb ''vuokrata'' mean "to rent" (as the
lessee A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
does) as well as "to let" (as the
lessor Lessor may refer to: * Lessor (leasing), the owner of leased property or the agent authorized on the owner's behalf * Lessor, Wisconsin, a town in U.S.A. * Lessor Township, Minnesota, U.S.A. See also * Lesser {{disambig, geo ...
does). * The Swahili verb ''kutoa'' means both "to remove" and "to add". * The
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
word "大败", it means both "be defeated" and "to defeat". * The
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
verb چیدن (''čidan'') means both "to pluck" and "to arrange" (i.e. by putting objects down). * In Spanish (basic meaning "to give"), when applied to lessons or subjects, can mean "to teach", "to take classes" or "to recite", depending on the context. * The
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
verb ''menghiraukan'' and ''mengacuhkan'' can mean "to regard" or "to ignore". * The Indonesian/Malay adjective ''usah'' can mean "required" or "discouraged".


Adverbs

* hi, कल and ur, کل (''kal'' ) may mean either "yesterday" or "tomorrow" (disambiguated by the verb in the sentence). * can mean both "a while ago" and "in a little bit/later on"


Agent nouns

* The
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, Spanish and French
cognates In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical eff ...
, '' ospite'', '' huésped'' and '' hôte'', respectively, also can mean "host" or "guest". The three words derive from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
'' hospes'', which also carries both meanings.


Adjectives

*The
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''
sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction " left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see ...
'' means both "auspicious" (from Roman tradition) and "inauspicious" (from Greek tradition). The negative Greek meaning was carried on into French and ultimately English. *Latin means "excessive, too much". It maintained this meaning in Spanish , but it was also misinterpreted as "insignificant, without importance". * means among other things "bright, clear" (from Sino-Vietnamese ) and "dead, gloomy" (from ). Because of this, the name of the dwarf planet
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
is not adapted from as in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.


In translation

Seeming auto-antonyms can occur from translation. In Hawaiian, for example, ''
aloha ''Aloha'' ( , ) is the Hawaiian language, Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a simple greeting but has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians, for whom the term is u ...
'' is translated both as "hello" and as "goodbye", but the essential meaning of the word is "love", whether used as a greeting or farewell. The
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
greeting '' ciao'' is translated as "hello" or "goodbye" depending on the context; the original meaning was "at your service" (literally "(I'm your) slave").Ronnie Ferguson, ''A linguistic history of Venice'', 2007, , p. 284


See also

*
Skunked term A skunked term is a word that becomes difficult to use because it is transitioning from one meaning to another, perhaps inconsistent or even opposite, usage, or a word that becomes difficult to use due to other controversy surrounding the word. P ...
*
-onym The suffix ''-onym'' (from grc, ὄνυμα / name) is a bound morpheme, that is attached to the end of a root word, thus forming a new compound word that designates a particular ''class'' of names. In linguistic terminology, compound words ...
*
Oxymoron An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical devi ...
* Īhām


References


Further reading

* Sheidlower, Jesse (1 November 2005)
"The Word We Love To Hate"
''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
''. * Leithauser, Brad (14 October 2013)
"Unusable Words"
''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''. * Schulz, Kathryn (7 April 2015)
What Part of "No, Totally" Don't You Understand?
''The New Yorker''.


External links

{{wiktionarycat, type=Auto-antonyms, category=English contranyms * Contranyms by language in Wiktionary
List of auto-antonyms
Semantics Word play False friends Types of words Dichotomies Ambiguity Polysemy