Writing is partly an art form. We need material in the form of words to create any piece of writing. Possessing a rich vocabulary is an element of character that is worth honing continuously. Understanding how to convey information in a variety of ways is a skill that has to be developed over time, and is useful in many situations.
Consequently, the verb synonymize (in British English synonymise) refers to an important concept. What does it mean exactly, what are its origins, how do dictionaries refer to it, and how can we use it? A complete list of answers to your questions can be found here in this article.
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The origins of synonymize
This verb is simply a combination of the word synonym with the typically English language suffix -ize. But what are the origins of the word synonym?
The word shares both Greek and Latinmeanings, with its origin found in the ancient vocabulary of Greek, while its later entry into Latin means we still use it today, in English conversation.
It comprises the Greek word sun – meaning ‘with’, and the onoma – meaning ‘name’. These formed the expression sunōnumon, while the word we know today, synonym, was created through natural Latin lexical processes.
Dictionary definition of synonymize
According to Dictionary.com, synonymize means ‘to give a synonym for’ (a word, name, etc.), essentially to furnish with synonyms.
Merriam-webster.com, on the other hand, provides the following definitions:
- to give or analyze the synonyms (of a word)
- to provide (something, such as a dictionary) with synonymes
- to demonstrate (a taxonomic name) to be a synonym
At collinsdictionary.com we can find the following definition of the term synonymize:
- to analyze the synonyms of, or provide with synonyms
In order for us to really understand the meaning of these definitions we need an explanation of the word synonym. At dictionary.cambridge.org we can find the following definition of the word:
- a word or phrase that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase in the same language
From this we can understand that, in general, it means: to provide a word with similar meaning.
Examples of how we can use synonymize
- A teacher synonymizes the adjective ‘small’ for his students by giving them the synonym ‘little’.
- To synonymize the verb analyze, we need another verb like examine to express the same meaning.
- The Google search engine is a great option if you want to synonymize words in your text and avoid repetition.
- A good sign that your research paper distinguishes itself is that you synonymize a lot of the words, and in that way, you avoided repetition, which avoids your paper looking too scholarly.
Summary
The term synonymize is a very useful concept to know and, even better, to use actively. It can improve the feel of the content you create, and even the combined presentation of your knowledge through synonymized words helps it to stand out.
Remember: expand your knowledge, browse everything you can, and then use your dictionaries to help your work appear notable.
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