We’re moving next
to the homophone: a word pronounced the same as another but differing in
meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, as heir and air. So … contronyms are words that have contradictory meanings (sanctiion = approve and
disapprove; homophones sound alike
but to not mean the same—and often are not spelled the same, either.
1. gnu (noun): wildebeest
2. knew (verb): past tense of know; to have information of some kind
in your mind
3. new (adj.): not old; recently born, but,
or created
4. nu (noun): the 13th letter of
the Greek alphabet
The gnu knew nu—he'd studied Greek,
To him a
language very new.
But
knowledge—ever!—he would seek.
It’s what,
he felt, he ought to do.
And so a gnu professorship
At Harvard
soon was put in place.
His classes
were not wise to skip:
A wildebeest
can hurt your face!
He had a
very long career—
His honors
many (not a few).
But then the
words we hate to hear:
“It’s time
we hired a new Prof. Gnu.”
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