# Homonyms in English with non-homonym plurals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612 "2011-01-06T15:23:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/1 "2011-01-06T15:23:33Z")
A staff can be a length of wood. The plural is staves. A staff can be a group of subordinates. The plural is staffs. Staff is a homonym - one word, both a homologue and a homophone, with two meanings. But each meaning has a separate plural. Is there a term for such? Are there any other such homonyms in English? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/2 "2011-01-06T15:35:58Z")
“Maple leaves” = leaves of a maple tree “Maple Leafs” = members of a sports team ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/3 "2011-01-06T16:29:38Z")
die (cube) - dice die (device for forming things) - dies ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/4 "2011-01-06T16:37:11Z")
Die is a good one. Is there a term for such words? And the homonym staves has two singulars - stave as in musical stave and staff. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/5 "2011-01-06T17:15:58Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > A staff can be a length of wood. **The plural is staves**. FWIW: even in the “length or wood” usage, [“staves” appears to be no more than an alternative to “staffs”](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/staff.). “Staves” is certainly not obligatory usage – not sure if there is much dialect variation. I think of _staff-staves_ much like _work-wrought_. These days, they’ve become “staffs” and “worked”. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/6 "2011-01-06T17:35:57Z")
It is my understanding that if the word “foot” refers to the body part, its plural is “feet”, whereas for the unit of measurement the plural is usually “foot”. Usage may vary, though, and its probably not exactly what the OP is looking for since the two meanings of “foot” are not really homonyms, they’re the same word used with different meanings in different contexts. A similar instance of this might be “monies” (financial resources, as in “Congress approved the monies to do whatever”) and “moneys” (currencies, as in “the different moneys used in Europe”). But I’m not a native speaker, so it might be that in both uses both plurals are acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/7 "2011-01-06T17:49:46Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > It is my understanding that if the word “foot” refers to the body part, its plural is “feet”, whereas for the unit of measurement the plural is usually “foot”. I can’t think of any case in which the plural of the unit of measurement is “foot”; it’s always “feet”. (“How long is the pole?” “Six feet.”) Maybe you are thinking of when the term is used adjectivally, such as “a six-foot pole”, or (abbreviatedly) when giving one’s height. However, this is no different than with any other unit of measure, whether conventional or nonce: “a two-metre pole” (rather than \*“a two-metres pole”) or “a seventy-apple crate” (rather than “a seventy-apples crate”). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/8 "2011-01-06T17:51:06Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > FWIW: even in the “length or wood” usage, [“staves” appears to be no more than an alternative to “staffs”](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/staff.). “Staves” is certainly not obligatory usage – not sure if there is much dialect variation. Not on this side of the Atlantic AFAIAA. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/9 "2011-01-06T19:06:49Z")
Antenna (animal appendage) - Antennae Antenna (apparatus to send and receive radio waves) - Antennas ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/10 "2011-01-06T19:12:29Z")
“Goose” as a bird has the plural “geese” “Goose” meaning a tailor’s implement has the plural “gooses”. I learned this from a Ripley’s Believe it or Not entry. After I confirmed it in a dictionary, I wrote both answers on a test back in elementary school. I got docked a point by an unimaginative teacher who had no interest in confirming my claims. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/11 "2011-01-06T19:25:45Z")
Medium (general means of communication) - Media Medium (a person who claims to be able to contact the spirit world) - Mediums I think one could argue that #2 above is simply a special case of #1. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/12 "2011-01-06T19:27:12Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Die is a good one. > > Is there a term for such words? I think [homophone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/13 "2011-01-06T19:28:24Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Antenna (animal appendage) - Antennae > Antenna (apparatus to send and receive radio waves) - Antennas Aren’t those the same word? I thought homonyms were words with different roots and different meaning, but same spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/14 "2011-01-06T19:29:16Z")
Mouse - a small, common rodent, pluralized as _mice_ Mouse - a device used for controlling the cursor on a computer screen, usually pluralized as _mice_ as well but can be pluralized as _mouses_ EDIT: although, **scr4** is right: these aren’t technically homonyms ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/15 "2011-01-06T20:33:31Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Aren’t those the same word? I thought homonyms were words with different roots and different meaning, but same spelling. Indeed. Most of the examples given have been pairs of words that are very closely related, etymologically, and therefore not really homonyms. We’re looking for words that fall into two unusual categories - true homonyms, and irregular plurals - so I suspect there are very few such words. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/16 "2011-01-06T20:46:42Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Indeed. Most of the examples given have been pairs of words that are very closely related, etymologically, and therefore not really homonyms. We’re looking for words that fall into two unusual categories - true homonyms, and irregular plurals - so I suspect there are very few such words. Yes, that makes them very uncommon. Here’s a possible example: [Animé](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anim%C3%A9_%28oleo-resin%29), meaning a kind of resin: plural “animés”. [Anime](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime), meaning Japanese animated film: plural “anime” (following Japanese pluralisation rules). Is the acute accent a problem in this case? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/17 "2011-01-06T22:15:54Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Antenna (animal appendage) - Antennae > Antenna (apparatus to send and receive radio waves) - Antennas We use _antennae_ for both over here. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > “Goose” as a bird has the plural “geese” > > “Goose” meaning a tailor’s implement has the plural “gooses”. And what’s a goose other than an iron? > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Medium (general means of communication) - Media > Medium (a person who claims to be able to contact the spirit world) - Mediums > > I think one could argue that #2 above is simply a special case of #1. That is a good one. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think [homophone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone). No - a homonym is both a homophone and a homologue. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/18 "2011-01-07T00:22:49Z")
**datum** can be a singular form of _data_, or it can mean a reference for surveying (in which case the plural is _datums_). However I’m not sure if these count as true homonyms either. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/19 "2011-01-07T00:30:24Z")
Penny: Amount of money pluralized as “pence”. Number of coins pluralized as “pennies”. Person: Individual pluralized as “people”. Body pluralized as “persons”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612/20 "2011-01-07T01:29:41Z")
Dwarfs = Little people Dwarves = fantasy creatures with beards who like beer and carry axes Not the best example I know. I’ll bet you can game the system if you use loanwords from languages like Japanese, where you are technically not supposed to change the plural (ninja\>ninja), or like Italian, where the “true” plural can be intermittently used, like lasagna\>lasagne, or the plural is used for singular, panino\>panini. I wish I could think of homonyms using those examples, the best right now is English pan\>pans, and Japanese pan\>pan (bread, itself a Portuguese loanword). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homonyms-in-english-with-non-homonym-plurals/566612.md?page=2)