A synonym: a word that means almost the same thing as another.
1977, Robert H. Stacy, Defamiliarization in Language and Literature, Syracuse University Press, ISBN 9780815621843, page 52:7. This is also a type of poecilonym or hybrid word; cf. such a word as “aeneolithic†(=chalcolithic) in English.
1997, David Grambs, The Endangered English Dictionary: Bodacious Words, page xi:Maybe we could all use a few spanking old poecilonyms. Poecilonym? It's an old synonym for synonym that you'll find in these pages. But many words in this dictionary have no real counterparts in today's English.
1999 July 27, "Ucalegon" (username), "Missing aircraft", in alt.anagrams
, Usenet:
>> Is there another word for synonym?>Actually, there is: poecilonymTake care, though; ‘poecilonym’ can only be used for the taxonomic meaning of ‘synonym’--an incorrect or obsolete systematic name for a genus or species.
2006, Nero Blanc, Death on the Diagonal, page 147:It's high time I looked for another job and got as far away from homonyms, synonyms, antonyms — to say nothing of caconyms, eponyms, and poecilonyms!
