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by XaspR8d 2452 days ago
Yeah, but that's a really challenging line to draw diachronically.

For example, clip = to fasten originates from Old English `clyppan` (to embrace/clasp/surround), while clip = to cut originates somewhere Scandanavian, as in Old Norse' `klippa` (to clip/shear). Are those still homographs? I think a fair number of the list items are the result of convergent evolution.
1 comments
thaumasiotes 2452 days ago
Homographs are words that are written identically. I don't understand what you're trying to ask - the etymology of a word is not at all relevant to how it's spelled.
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empath75 2452 days ago
it's relevant to whether it's a homograph
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thaumasiotes 2451 days ago
No, it isn't. The spelling, and only the spelling, determines whether it's a homograph, because that's what "homograph" means.

Etymology is relevant to whether two words are cognates.

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empath75 2451 days ago
If the multiple meanings are merely variations on the same etymology, it’s not a homograph, it’s just a word with multiple meanings.
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