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Carpal Tunnel
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"Set," as I recall, sets the record for the largest number of separate definitions in OED. Of course, we are looking for a set of words with completely distinct meanings, and is difficult to gauge what is "completely" distinct.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Thank, Tsuwm--
Yes, cleave (one spelling, one way of saying) traces back to two different root words.
Hamper too
One meaning of hamper is to impeed,
an other word, (that is spelled the same) is
Hamper (from hanaper) a basket originally used to carry goblets, (hanapes)and by extention, a basket used to store or transport clothing or valuables.
i haven't checked out crow, or cricket or Rubrick's other words...
some words are tricky.. as was pointed out in another thread, Cosmetics and Cosmos (the universe) --very different meanings-- both trace back to a greek word for Order, neatness.. one makes cosmetic repairs to appearence by putting on fresh lipstick, and the world around us is ordered too, day follows night, etc.
its not as easy as it sounds..but we are up to the challenge.
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Carpal Tunnel
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With honors to Max, I add the pair median/Median. One man's mede is another man's persian.: http://www.bartleby.com/100/158.27.html
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veteran
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veteran
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"Bad" can mean lousy, or "bad" can mean "good." It's slang, though it seems to be coming into common usage as my generation grows up and passes this usage to our progeny.
"Book" is one, though the multiple meanings aren't contradictory. There are many, many words like this, but the meaning is usually obvious in context.
One of my favorites is "order" which can have different meanings to a thermodynamicist, a waiter, an artist, a lawyer, and a mathematician. And the conflation of meanings caused considerable misunderstanding in the US
I have a mild interest in technical or scientific words that can have different meanings, sometimes in direct conflict, as well as technical words whose meanings are borrowed or corrupted by laypersons.
Example of the first would be the term "closed system" which has multiple, non-equivalent definitions according to different texts. There was another example I discovered during an argument some years ago and involved a dispute over the meaning of the term "natural number" or maybe it was "integer." I can't recall which, but I remember scouring every math book in the company library before finding a very old text that actually agreed with this person whom I (though I was not taking part in the dispute) thought was quite mistaken.
An example of the second might be the use of the words "net" and "web" and "internet" and "usenet" as synonyms. Frankly, most engineers just say that the laypeople are wrong here, while I'm willing to allow that the common understanding of words don't have to be technically correct.
For example, ask most people how to accelerate their car and, besides a stare indicating that you're an idiot for having asked such a stupid question, you would get the quick answer of "step on the gas." Someone who remembered a bit from algebra might note that a deceleration is just a negative acceleration, so stepping on the gas would also accelerate the car. An engineer would include these answers and add that turning the steering wheel while maintaining speed also accelerates the car. Someone trying to be clever might add that one might shift weight in the car, or slam into a wall, or note that they had no car to accelerate, or make some other irritating and seemingly obtuse and irrelevant observation.
k
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old hand
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old hand
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"Bad" can mean lousy, or "bad" can mean "good." It's slang, though it seems to be coming into common usage as my generation grows up and passes this usage to our progeny.
Dude, that is soooo 1999. Bad-a** is quite common though. A few others now are sweet, money and the ever-popular awesome and cool. A long, drawn out "sh*t" has many uses now, including indicating that you're impressed with some thing.
Ex. "Sh***t, that sweet new game is so money!" But of course, you can't articulate it.
We weren't talking about this though were we . . . .
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Carpal Tunnel
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Pound (noun) vs. Pound (verb)
Pale (noun) vs. Pale (adverb)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
cricket the game, and cricket the insect seem to both go back to the middle french-- criquet... but this is not definative.. care to give more history Rubrick?
and the two meaning of crow.. a bird, or triumphant call (or bragging) both go back to OHG--krawa--a word for a black bird, or the loud call of the blackbird, or for the people of the blackbird (Crow nation is one of america's aboriginal tribes.)-- but maybe i missed something? if so, please enlighten us..
but just below.. Crowd-- a multitude is related to crowd, to press together, or hurry, and both go back to a root word for curds!
but Crowd, a musical intrument.. doesn't.
mind,you, i didn't know till 2 minutes ago there was a intrument called a crowd.. but it just goes to show you...
i have mental list of about 10-- sometimes 15..(when i have been thinking about it.) but i bet there are lots...
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Carpal Tunnel
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(to) row (a boat)& row (a line)
(to) bear (carry) & bear (animal)
(to) lie (tell an untruth) & (to) lie (prone or supine)
lay (song) & (to) lay (eggs)
Bingley
Bingley
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addict
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addict
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Of course, we are looking for a set of words with completely distinct meanings, and it is difficult to gauge what is "completely" distinct.
Well said, Keiva. I was thinking the same thing as I read some of the posts.
Dude, that is soooo 1999.
Dude, that is so 1999.
2 for the money
Poor 1.
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Carpal Tunnel
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FallibleFiend (I've been reading that as FallibleF riend since you first showed up, shows you how fallible I am!  ...and welcome aboard, our FallibleFiend friend!) used this word in the above post, so my thanks for the reference! 1. Lay (as in recline, or set down) 2. Lay (as in layman) 3. Lay (as in sex) Well 5, if you wanna add in Ken and Potato Chips!)
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Carpal Tunnel
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er, Whit, I'd suspect that #1 and #3 are not entirely unrelatd ...  . . . or rather, unre lated...
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