Capitalised word |
Lowercase word |
Notes |
Arabic: of or relating to the Arabic language or Arabic literature |
arabic: gum arabic, also called gum acacia, a food ingredient |
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Ares (): god of war |
ares ( or ): plural of are, a metric unit of area |
Different pronunciations |
August (): the eighth month of the year |
august (): majestic or venerable |
Different pronunciations |
Bohemian: Relating to Bohemia |
bohemian: Socially unconventional |
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Cancer: a constellation and astrological sign, or a genus of crab |
cancer: a class of diseases |
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Catholic: Of the Western Christian Catholic Church, as differentiated from e.g. the Eastern Orthodox Church |
catholic: Universal; all-encompassing. |
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Celt (, ): A member of one of the Celtic peoples who speak Celtic languages. |
celt (): A prehistoric chisel-bladed tool. |
Often different pronunciations |
Cuban: from Cuba |
cuban: relating to cubes, as in cuban prime (rare technical use) |
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Divine: relating to God |
divine: to discover by intuition or insight; to locate water, minerals, etc.; a theologian |
In lower case, the word can take either meaning |
Gallic: relating to France or to the ancient territory of Gaul |
gallic: relating to galls (abnormal plant growths) or gallic acid |
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Hamlet: A play by William Shakespeare, or the play's protagonist |
hamlet: a small town |
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Ionic: relating to Ionia or to a style of classical architecture |
ionic: relating to (chemical) ions |
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Lent: the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter |
lent: past tense and participle of to lend |
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Mandarin: a Sinitic language spoken in northern and western China, especially in and around Beijing |
mandarin: a member of an elite or powerful group or class, as in intellectual or cultural milieus; also, a type of citrus fruit |
March: the third month of the year |
march: to walk briskly and rhythmically |
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May: the fifth month of the year |
may: modal verb |
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Mosaic: Relating to Moses |
mosaic: a kind of decoration |
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Muse: One of the nine Greek goddesses involved with the arts, music, poetry, etc. |
muse: A person who serves as inspiration for artistic endeavours; also, to ponder reflectively over. |
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Natal: A British colony that then become one of the four provinces of the Union of South Africa and the Republic of South Africa during the apartheid era, i.e. before 1994. It is so named because its major port city, now called Durban, was initially named Porto do Natal (Portuguese for "Christmas Port") due to Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landing there on Christmas Day, 1492. |
natal: Relating to childbirth. |
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Pole: a Polish person |
pole: a long, thin cylindrical object; various other meanings |
Pole is not genetically related to pole: The Old English word for "pole" was spelled pal with a short a (compare ModE stone and OE stan). |
Polish (): from Poland |
polish (): to create a shiny surface by rubbing; a compound used in that process |
Different pronunciations |
Scot: a native of Scotland |
scot: a payment, charge, assessment, or tax |
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Scotch: from or relating to Scotland, or a form of whisky |
scotch: to put an end to something (especially rumours); also the form of whisky |
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Swede: a person from Sweden or of Swedish descent |
swede: the yellow root of Brassica napus |
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Welsh: from or relating to Wales |
welsh: to renege (on an agreement) |
The verb welsh (also spelled welch) is of unknown etymology but is often described as deriving from the adjective Welsh and consequently perceived as insulting to people from Wales. |