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.[citation needed] 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 except the context in which they are used.
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 Arabic language or Arabic literature | arabic: (gum) arabic, also called gum acacia, a food ingredient, arabic numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) | The so-called "arabic" numbers are really from India, but it was the Arabs who brought them to Europe. The Arabic language has its own number characters (interestingly enough, they are written from left to right, while words are written from right to left). | |
| Ares: god of war | ares: plural of are, a metric unit of area | different pronunciations | |
| August: the eighth month of the year | august: majestic or venerable | different pronunciations | |
| 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. Food product labeling, which often uses Calorie in an ambiguous capitalization, generally refers to kilocalories. | |
| Cancer: 1. a constellation and astrological sign. 2. a genus of crab. | cancer: a class of diseases. | ||
| 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) | Many languages capitalizes the word for god/God, when it means the Jewish/Christian/Islamic god/God, but lowercase it when it means a god of another religion. Since German capitalizes all nouns, the German word "Gott" is always capitalized, no matter what religion the god belongs to. The same is valid for the word "Göttin" (goddess), which is practically always lowercased in other languages. | |
| Ionic: relating to Ionia or to a style of classical architecture | ionic: relating to (chemical) ions | ||
| Herb: a nickname for Herbert | herb: a plant with certain valuable or desirable characteristics | different pronunciations (US English only). The "h" can be silent ("an herb," preferred US pronunciation/spelling) or audible ("a herb," preferred British pronunciation/spelling). | |
| 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 | different pronunciations | |
| 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"); also a magazine | life: the state or condition of a living organism | See Life (disambiguation) for additional uses of both forms | |
| Lima: the capital of Peru | lima: a kind of bean | different pronunciations | |
| 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, rhymes with cosull | mousehole: a hole where a mouse lives | different pronunciations | |
| Natal: a region of South Africa and a city in northern Brazil | natal: relating to birth | different pronunciations | |
| Nice: a city in southern France | nice: pleasant, agreeable | different pronunciations | |
| 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: (/ˈpoʊlɪʃ/) from Poland | polish: (/ˈpɒlɪʃ/) to create a shiny surface by rubbing (verb); a compound used in that process (noun) | different pronunciations | |
| Providence: God | providence: provident or prudent managing of resources; foresight | ||
| Rainier: a volcanic peak in Washington; the name of several princes of Monaco | rainier: the comparative of "rainy" | different pronunciations | |
| Reading: any of various towns, such as that in Berkshire, England | reading: present participle of to read | different pronunciations | |
| Rodeo (Drive): a famous high-end shopping strip in California | rodeo a competitive country western event | different pronunciations | |
| 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 | different pronunciations | |
| 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 | different pronunciations | |
| Time: An American magazine | time: an ontological concept of a physical process | See: Time (disambiguation) for additional uses of both forms | |
| 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]
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
An 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.
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