Editing Contronym (section)

== Linguistic mechanisms ==
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Some pairs of contronyms are true [[homograph]]s, i.e., distinct words with different [[etymology|etymologies]] which happen to have the same form.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/words-own-opposites |title=Words That are Their Own Opposites|publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=2024-07-27}}</ref>  For instance ''cleave'' "separate" is from [[Old English language|Old English]] ''clēofan'', while ''cleave'' "adhere" is from Old English ''clifian'', which was pronounced differently.

Other contronyms are a form of [[polysemy]], but where a single word acquires different and ultimately opposite definitions. For example, ''sanction''—"permit" or "[[sanctions (law)|penalize]]"; ''bolt'' (originally from [[crossbow]]s)—"leave quickly" or "fix/immobilize"; ''fast''—"moving rapidly" or "fixed in place".  Some English examples result from [[noun]]s being [[Conversion (word formation)|verbed]] in the patterns of "add &lt;noun> to" and "remove &lt;noun> from"; e.g. ''dust'', ''seed'', ''stone''. [[Denotation]]s and [[connotation]]s can drift or branch over centuries. An [[apocrypha]]l story relates how [[Charles II of Great Britain|Charles II]] (or sometimes [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]) described [[St Paul's Cathedral]] (using contemporaneous English) as "{{lang|en-emodeng|awful, pompous, and artificial}}", with the meaning (rendered in modern English) of "awe-inspiring, majestic, and ingeniously designed."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/10/31/st-pauls-cathedral/|title=St Paul's Cathedral Is Amusing, Awful, and Artificial|last=O’Toole|first=Garson|date=31 October 2012|work=Quote Investigator|access-date=22 January 2015}}</ref> 

Negative words such as {{lang|en-US|bad|italic=yes}}<ref name="Run DMC">{{Cite AV media |url=https://genius.com/Rundmc-peter-piper-lyrics |title=Peter Piper  |type=CD |language=en-US |publisher=Profile Records |year=1986 |volume=[[Raising Hell (album)|Raising Hell]] |quote=He's the big bad wolf in your neighborhood / not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good |people=[[Darryl McDaniels]], [[Joseph Simmons]] (for [[Run-DMC]])}}</ref> and ''sick'' sometimes acquire ironic senses by [[antiphrasis]]<ref name="Verne" /> referring to traits that are impressive and admired, if not necessarily positive (''that outfit is bad as hell''; ''lyrics full of sick burns'').

Some contronyms result from differences in [[varieties of English]]. For example, to ''[[table (verb)|table]]'' a bill means "to put it up for debate" in [[British English]], while it means "to remove it from debate" in [[Comparison of American and British English#Words and phrases with different meanings|American English]] (where British English would have "shelve", which in this sense has an identical meaning in American English). To ''[[Wiktionary:barrack#Etymology_2|barrack]]'', in [[Australian English]], is to loudly demonstrate support, while in British English it is to express disapproval and contempt.

In [[Latin language|Latin]], {{lang|la|[[wikt:sacer#Latin|sacer]]}} has the double meaning "sacred, holy" and "accursed, infamous". Greek {{lang|grc|[[wikt:δημιουργός#Greek|δημιουργός]]}} gave Latin its {{lang|la|[[wikt:demiurgus#Latin|demiurgus]]}}, from which English got its ''[[wikt:demiurge#English|demiurge]]'', which can refer either to [[God]] as the [[creator deity|creator]] or to the [[devil]], depending on philosophical context.

In some languages, a word stem associated with a single event may treat the action of that event as unitary, so in translation it may appear contronymic. For example, Latin {{lang|la|hospes}} can be translated as both "guest" and "host". In some varieties of English, ''[[wikt:borrow|borrow]]'' may mean both "borrow" and "lend".