SYNONYM (Lat. synonym/am, from Gk. avvcir rugov, syndnymon, neu. sg. of au voivtwos. synony mos, having the same name or meaning, from adz!, syn, together +' &owl, onoma, name). A word which nearly coincides in meaning with an other, as clear, transparent; bright, limpid ; fair, cloudless; serene. plain; lucid, perspieu0119; patent, obvious; visible, evident. There is, however. in nearly every case a slight indi vidual shade of meaning in each synonym. The development of synonyms is one first of con vergence and then of divergence. That is, the meanings are originally quite distinct.
In the course of semasiological evolution, how ever (see f?EMASIOLOGY), the particular words which tend to become synonymous overlap in meaning. This process may then continue till the words become identical in meaning. In this case the result is suppression of one of the terms, either complete, or. less usually, partial. The latter process gives the so-called suppletive or composite inflection, illustrated in such English verbs as am, be, urns. or go, ?rent. in which verb
roots originally distinct have coalesced. If. on the other hand, synonyms do not become identical, they tend to become so specialized in meaning with respect to each other that they not only retain for the most part their original distinc tions, but frequently develop others. The main stylistic use of synonyms is to give variety and accuracy of diction. One of the criteria of ex cellence of a language is its synonyms, and herein English ranks as one of the foremost tongues. Consult, for English synonyms: Roget, Thesaurus of English Words (new ed., London, 1883) ; Soule, Dictionary of English Synonyms (new ed., Philadelphia, 1895) ; Crabbe, English Synonyms (new ed., New York, 1891) ; Smith, Synonyms Discriminated (4th ed., London, 1890).