Capitonyms
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You probably won’t find this word in a reference book. Someone just made it up to describe a kind of heteronym. Capitonyms are words that are spelled the same, but usually (not always!) pronounced differently and that have different meanings. They are called capitonyms because one of the words begins with a capitol letter and it a proper noun.
Ares: God of War; ares: plural of metric unit of area.
August: eighth calendar month; august: important.
Begin: Russian-born Israeli politician; begin: to start.
Bob: a diminutive of Robert; bob: to nod the head or to cut hair shorter, a term for a British coin.
Bund: federation; bund: Irrigation embankment.
Chile: a South American country; chile (or chili): a hot spice
China: an Asian country; china: dishes
Chou: Chinese dynasty; chou: type of pastry.
Chow: a breed of dog; chow: food
Crow: a Native America tribe; crow: a large, black bird.
Degas: French painter and sculptor; degas: to remove gas.
Embarrass: river in eastern Illinois; embarrass: mortify.
Ewe: a people and language Africa; ewe: female sheep.
Ford: a brand of car; ford: to cross a stream at a shallow section.
Frank: a male name; frank: open, honest.
Herb: a man's name; herb: a plant used for seasoning food. (actually, for most Americans this isn't a capitonym because we tend to say erb instead of herb (for the plants only).
Job: a book in the Bible’s Old Testament; job: employment.
Junker: member of Prussian aristocracy; junker: old car.
Lima: capital of Peru; lima: type of bean.
Liver: comedy duo The Liver Birds; liver: human internal organ.
Magdalen: Oxford college; magdalen: reformed prostitute.
Major: a military officer; major: on importance
Malé: capital of the Maldives; male: a gender.
Manes: deified spirits of Roman dead; manes: plural of mane.
March: a month; march: to walk in step.
Natal: region of Africa; natal: relating to birth.
Nice: French city; nice: pleasant.
Oddjob: a character in a James Bond book; odd job: a little chore.
Pat: a diminutive of Patrick or Patricia; pat: a light tap, or a small square of butter.
Polish: relating to Poland; polish: to make shine.
Rainier: volcanic peak in Washington; rainier: more rainy.
Reading: borough in England; reading: comprehending writing.
Said: Egyptian port; said: Spoken.
Scone: village of central Scotland ; scone: biscuit-like pastry.
SEAT: car manufacturer; seat: chair.
Slough: a borough in England; slough: dead skin of reptile.
Tang: Chinese dynasty; tang: sharp flavor.
Tangier: a town in Morocco; tangier: more tangy.
Worms: city in southwest Germany; worms: plural of worm.
Obviously, many names—first name, surname, place names, names of brands, names of groups or organizations—are capitonyms. Nicknames: Baby, Curly, Butch; First names: Sally, Faith, Jasper; Surnames: Green, Brown, Miller, Rivers; Place names: Mystic (in Iowa), Truth or Consequences (in New Mexico), Palm Beach (Florida); Brand names: Apple, Gateway, Mercury (a car), Red Heart (yarn); Names of groups: Shakers, Quakers, Scouts, Campfire ( a youth group similar to Scouts), Rolling Stones.
Try your hand at a capitonym poem like these: I use the term "poem" very loosely!)
Job's Job
In August, an august nabob,
Was want-ad reading in Reading, MA
So Job found a job that paid him two bob:
To polish Polish brass every day.
Herb's Herbs
A herb-grower, Herb had thought twice
About moving and growing brown rice.
Should it be tangier Tangier or rainier Mt. Rainer?
In the end, he thought Nice would be nice.
March's March
In March, Ted would march every day.
He said once, from Said to Bombay!
He packed all his china when he left for China,
His pet Chow, and chow for each day.