Copemate...

[fajrdrako]

I discovered another contronym today. I love the concept: words that mean the opposite of themselves. Fascinating. And it's suprising how many there are in English.

This one is in today's A Word a Day by Anu Garg.

copemate, also copesmate PRONUNCIATION:(KOP-mayt):
MEANING:noun:
1. An associate or friend.
2. An opponent or adversary.

Comments

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

Cleave! That's my favorite contronym.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I love that one too.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

I used that a long time ago for a Mulder/Krycek story because, seriously, could that word describe anyone else other than the Mulder/Krycek relationship?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes. What a perfect fit. Well done!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Now I know there is a term for words which mean both one thing and its opposite. I have notced that there is a strong tendency for people to (damn; be tactful== not verty fing easy whren the cuffs knock myfingers off the keys and it's friking cold sorry damn!)

a strong tendency for people to use a term accidentally for the very opposite of its real meaning. this goes on long enough and soon the word ends up in the dictionary as a copemate, eh? like, currently, "comprise" is basically turning backwards on us.

it'stoo cold. bye.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Comprise? Really? How's it being used? Wiktionary about an increasing confusion/misuse between comprised and composed but that's not a contronym, just a conflation of similar words. A little like imply and infer!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

I meant "contrronym," of course. Embarrassing to be caught being this incapable, feh.