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What's In A Nym?


A pile of colorful cutouts of different words. Blog title reads, "What's In A Nym?"

I like to use words a lot. They’re good for when I want to say things that are good.


I think that approaches satisfactorily resolving any doubts as to my predilection towards erudition, verbosity, and even ~*shudder*~ pedantry.


Ugh. I think there’s a middle ground. Let me try again.


I find words fascinating. I am always intrigued by the ways that words can be used, reused, understood, misunderstood, or interpreted. I love learning interesting etymology or misconceptions (like the fact that the phrase “just deserts” actually only has one “s”). It’s a reason why I find myself tending towards spouting archaic phrases (special shout out to “needs must as the devil drives”).


And I learned a new word-thing the other day! (word-thing, of course, being an invented coinage for solely this blog).


Contronyms.


Contronyms are words that are spelled the same, pronounced the same, and mean opposite things depending on context. This is best illustrated in examples.


I dusted the counter because I needed space to dust my cake with confectioners sugar.


Dust, of course, meaning to remove particulate matter, but also to spread particulate matter.


She was bolted to the floor and when she was scared tried to bolt.


Fun, right?


I had my first encounter with a contronym in the wild on Tuesday. In a meeting of the Committee on Ministry, there was discussion of forming a “pastor oversight team.” That team is either supposed to support and monitor pastors or be commissioned to specifically fail to pay attention to them. I think the latter was the appropriate context in this case.


As a child, if one parent says yes and the other says no, then we have a contradiction. Two competing responses to the same situation. Human beings are often contradictions. We are hypocrites who insist that people live according to a set of rules we don’t follow. These contradictions are hard to navigate and are frustrating to encounter. We seek consistency and integrity in people, not contradictions and falseness.


Human beings are often walking contradictions, but in many ways, we are also contronymns. Because even in our most contradictory moments, we are still the same person. Our substance and selfhood does not change because we’re saying or doing different things. We are still the same whole person. A person’s beliefs and actions may not line up, causing contradictions. But the totality of that person is both saying and doing things that are in opposition without having to be broken up into beliefs and actions.


Our actions flow from our beliefs. Our thoughts flow from our feelings. Our feelings flow from our behaviors. We are one whole thing. We are the same thing with so many different and opposed definitions. Depending on the context, place, date, community, we will mean different things. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. But we are not a collection of contradictory pieces. We are complicated human beings, whole in our selfhood, and existing as so many things at the same time.



Peace,

Rev. Jeff Fox-Kline


 

If you've enjoyed exploring into the nuances of words and synonyms in the latest blog from our pastor, we'd love to keep the conversation going! At Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, we believe that meaningful dialogue enriches our community. Whether you're curious about our faith, have questions about life, or just want to say hello, we're excited to chat with you. To learn more about us, contact our office by calling 585-244-8585 or visit us in person! We're located at 1200 S. Winton Road in Rochester, NY in the town of Brighton. We look forward to connecting with you!

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