Capitonym
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A capitonym is a word that changes its meaning (and sometimes pronunciation) when it is capitalized, and usually applies to capitalization due to proper nouns or eponyms. It is a portmanteau of the word capital with the suffix -onym. A capitonym is a form of homograph and — when the two forms are pronounced differently — also of heteronym. In situations where both words should be capitalized (such as the beginning of a sentence), there will be nothing to distinguish between them.
Although some pairs, such as march and March, are completely unrelated, in other cases, such as august and catholic, the capitalized form is a name which is etymologically related to the uncapitalized form. For example, August derives from the name of Imperator Augustus, who named himself after the word augustus, whence English august. And both Catholic and catholic derive from a Greek adjective meaning "universal". Pairs in which one word is simply a secondary meaning of the other — e.g. Masonry (secret society), which is essentially a peculiar use of the word masonry (wall building) — are omitted.
In other languages there are more, or less, of these pairs depending on that language's capitalization rules. For example, in German, where all nouns are capitalized, there are many pairs, such as Laut (sound) ~ laut (loud) or Morgen (morning) ~ morgen (tomorrow). In contrast, in Italian, as well as Spanish, almost no words (except proper names) are capitalized, not even months, weekdays nor ethnical adjectives, so there are extremely few, if any, such pairs. (An example is Messa (Mass) ~ messa (feminine past participe of mettere = to put), though the former is sometimes spelled with a lowercase m too.)
| Capitalised word | Lowercase word | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine: of or relating to the Alps | alpine: (adj.) relating to high mountains; living or growing in high mountains; (n.) an alpine plant | |
| Arabic: of or relating to the Arab world, or the Arabic language | arabic: (gum) arabic, also called gum acacia, a food ingredient | |
| Ares: god of war | ares: plural of are, a metric unit of area | |
| August: the eight month of the year | august: majestic or venerable | |
| Boxing (Day): 26 December | boxing: a sport | |
| Calorie: 1000 calories; a kilocalorie (kcal) | calorie: a unit of energy (usually thermal) | A practice advocated by some, and not widely followed. The two units are indistinguishable when written in all capital letters (example: 9 CALORIES OF HEAT). The use of the terms 'small calorie' and 'large calorie' or 'gram calorie' and 'kilogram calorie' eliminates any potential confusion. |
| Catholic: relating to the Catholic church (usually the Roman Catholic Church) (adj.); a member of that church (noun) | catholic: free of provincial prejudices or attachments | |
| Celt: (/kɛlt/ or /sɛlt/) a person from an ethnic group using a Celtic language | celt: (/sɛlt/) a prehistoric axe | |
| China: an Asian country | china: ceramic plates, bowls etc. | |
| Cologne: a German city | cologne: a type of perfume | |
| Cuban: from Cuba | cuban: relating to cubes, as in cuban prime (rare technical use) | |
| Fiat: an automobile manufactured by the Italian firm Fiat S.p.A. | fiat: an authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree | |
| Gallic: relating to France or to the ancient territory of Gaul | gallic: relating to galls (abnormal plant growths) | |
| German: from Germany | german: close (relative) | |
| God: "the supreme or ultimate reality" (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary) | god: "a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship" (ibidem) | |
| Ionic: relating to Ionia or to a style of classical architecture | ionic: relating to (chemical) ions | |
| Italic: of, or relating to Italy | italic: pertaining to a sloping typeface or font | |
| Job: subject of a book of the Bible | job: a form of employment | |
| Lent: the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter | lent: past tense and participle of to lend | |
| Life: a biography (as in "Lives of the saints") | life: the state or condition of a living organism | |
| Lima: the capital of Peru | lima: a kind of bean | |
| March: the third month of the year | march: to walk briskly and rhythmically | |
| Mass: a liturgical function | mass: a physical property of matter | |
| May: the fifth month of the year | may: modal verb | |
| Mosaic: pertaining to Moses | mosaic: a kind of decoration | |
| Mousehole: a village in Cornwall, England, pronounced mowzel | mousehole: a hole where a mouse lives | |
| Natal: a region of South Africa and a city in northern Brazil | natal: relating to birth | |
| Nice: a city in southern France | nice: pleasant, agreeable | |
| Piedmont: an Italian region | piedmont: any region of foothills of a mountain range | |
| Pole: a Polish person | pole: a long thin cylindrical object; various other meanings | |
| Polish: (/ˈpəʊlɪʃ/) from Poland | polish: (/ˈpɒlɪʃ/) to create a shiny surface by rubbing (verb); a compound used in that process (noun) | |
| Rainier: a volcanic peak in Washington State; the name of several princes of Monaco | rainier: the comparative of "rainy" | |
| Reading: any of various towns, such as that in Berkshire, England | reading: present participle of to read | |
| Rodeo (Drive): a famous high-end shopping strip in California | rodeo a competitive country western event | |
| Scone: a Scottish village famous for the Stone of Scone | scone: a sweet pastry or savoury baked biscuit | |
| SEAT: a manufacturer of cars | seat: a chair | |
| Slough: a town in England, famous as the setting of The Office | slough: a hollow filled with mud | |
| Tangier: a city in northern Morocco | tangier: more tangy; spicier | |
| Turkey: a country spanning Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia | turkey: a bird native to North America, or the meat from this bird |
Some question the correctness of certain case-sensitive distinctions that others make. Examples are church (a building) and Church (an organization), mass (physical quantity) and Mass (liturgical function). In the Soviet Union, it was forbidden to write God with an upper-case letter, making impossible this manner of distinguishing God (the being believed to create and rule the universe) from god (one of beings believed to control some part of the universe).[1]
[edit] Examples in poems
The following poems, of unknown origin, are examples of the use of capitonyms:
Job's Job
In August, an august patriarch
Was reading an ad in Reading, Mass.
Long-suffering Job secured a job
To polish piles of Polish brass.
Herb's Herbs
A herb store owner, name of Herb,
Moved to a rainier Mount Rainier.
It would have been so nice in Nice,
And even tangier in Tangier.
