same

same

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Pronunciation

The IPA phonetic spelling for "same" is /seɪm/.

• /seɪm/

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Word Form Variations

The word "same" is primarily an adjective and can also function as a pronoun or adverb. It does not have typical singular/plural variations like nouns, nor does it have verb conjugations. Its form remains consistent.

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Adjective

• Definition 1: Identical in nature, degree, or characteristic; not different.

• Synonyms: identical, alike, equivalent, equal, uniform, consistent

• Antonyms: different, dissimilar, distinct, unequal, varied

• Definition 2: Referring to a person or thing previously mentioned or understood; not another.

• Synonyms: aforementioned, aforesaid, identical

• Antonyms: other, another

Pronoun

• Definition 1: The very same thing or person. (Often used after "the")

• Synonyms: it, them, that

• Antonyms: (No direct antonyms as a pronoun, as it refers to a specific identity.)

Adverb

• Definition 1: In the same manner; likewise. (Often used in informal contexts, e.g., "Same to you!")

• Synonyms: likewise, similarly, identically

• Antonyms: differently, otherwise

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Examples of Use

Books:

• "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This famous opening line from Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (published 1878) uses "alike" which is a strong synonym for "the same."

• "It was the same moon that shone on the day of my birth, the same stars, the same sky." (From a memoir discussing continuity of experience)

Newspapers:

• "The prime minister stated that the government's stance on the new economic policy remains the same, despite recent criticisms." (The Guardian)

• "Residents expressed the same concerns about traffic congestion at yesterday's town hall meeting as they did last year." (Daily Nation)

Online Publications:

• "While the visual design has evolved, the core functionality of the website has largely stayed the same." (TechCrunch article on website redesign)

• "Researchers found that students performed the same regardless of whether they took the exam in person or online." (Article on educational studies, Education Week)

Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• Film: "Play it again, Sam." (While not using "same," the sentiment of repetition and identical action is strongly implied, from Casablanca). In the film Groundhog Day (released 1993), the protagonist famously wakes up to the same day repeatedly.

• Television: "We'll be back at the same time next week for another episode of 'The Crown'." (Promo for a TV series)

• Music: "I am the same old me, just a little bit wiser." (Lyrics from a popular song)

• Social Media: "Feeling the same vibes today! ☀️" (Instagram caption with a photo)

General Public Discourse:

• "Can I get the same coffee I had yesterday?" (Customer at a coffee shop)

• "Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ. So, we're on the same page." (Common idiom used in conversation)

• "It's the same story every time – promises made, but little action." (Conversation about political issues)

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10 Quotes Using Same

1. "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina) - The implicit use of "same" is evident in "alike."

2. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." (Often attributed to Albert Einstein, though its exact origin is debated)

3. "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." (Heraclitus)

4. "We are all in the same boat, in a stormy sea, and we are experiencing the same fears and the same hopes." (Paulo Coelho)

5. "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open. And we often find the same thing with an open mind." (Frank Zappa)

6. "It is by acts and not by ideas that people live. The same applies to their institutions." (Aristotle)

7. "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. So, do not keep doing the same things." (Buckminster Fuller)

8. "It is the same with people as with trees. When you lop off the branch, the tree is distorted and ugly, and if you leave the branch to itself, it grows in a beautiful shape and form." (Carl Jung)

9. "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. The same applies for the freedom to choose." (Søren Kierkegaard)

10. "The same wind that carries one ship to harbor blows another out to sea." (African Proverb)

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Etymology

The word "same" has a really old and interesting history, tracing back to a very ancient language family called Proto-Indo-European. This is like the great-grandparent language of many languages spoken today in Europe and parts of Asia.

The core idea behind "same" is "one" or "together." Think about how when things are the "same," they are like a single unit or joined in some way.

In its very early forms, in what's called Proto-Germanic (an ancestor of English, German, and Scandinavian languages), the word was something like *samaz, meaning "same." This then developed into words like samr in Old Norse and sama or same in Old English.

Interestingly, in Old English, "same" wasn't always used on its own as an adjective like it is now. It often appeared in phrases like "swa same," which meant "in the same way" or "likewise."

The word "same" as we commonly use it today, meaning "identical" or "not different," really started to become popular in Middle English (roughly from 1150 to 1500). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) points to its earliest known use around 1175 in a work called the Ormulum. It's thought that this renewed use of "same" in English was heavily influenced by Old Norse, where similar words like samr were more directly used as adjectives meaning "same."

So, in short: "same" comes from very old words meaning "one" or "together," and it took on its modern meaning of "identical" or "not different" during the Middle English period, likely with a strong push from Old Norse.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Same

• All the same: Nevertheless; in spite of that.

• At the same time: Simultaneously; concurrently.

• The same to you: A polite or informal response, often reciprocal, meaning "I wish the same for you."

• In the same boat: In the same difficult situation.

• On the same page: In agreement; having a shared understanding.

• Same difference: An informal way of saying that two things are essentially the same or that the difference is negligible.

• The same old story: A predictable or recurring situation, often a negative one.

• The same token: In the same way or for the same reason.

• Cut from the same cloth: Very similar in character or nature.

• Same here: An informal expression of agreement or shared experience.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of same from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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