1. each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins: "students often struggle with homonyms"
▪ a Latin name which is identical to that of a different organism, the newer of the two names being invalid:"because Pinus tenuifolia is a later homonym, a new name must be provided"
Word Originlate 17th century: via Latin from Greek homōnumon, neuter of homōnumos ‘having the same name’, from homos ‘same’ + onoma ‘name’.