same
(sām)
[Middle English, from Old Norse samr.]
adjective
- Being the very one; identical: the same boat we rented before.
- Similar in kind, quality, quantity, or degree.
- Conforming in every detail: according to the same rules as before.
- Being the one previously mentioned or indicated; aforesaid.
adverb
- In the same way: The words and are pronounced the same.
pron.
- Someone or something identical with another.
- Someone or something previously mentioned or described.
usage note
Usage Note: The expressions same and the same are sometimes used in place of pronouns such as it or one, as in When you have filled out the form, please remit same to this office. As this example suggests, the usage is associated chiefly with business and legal language, and some critics have suggested that it should be reserved for such contexts. But though the usage often does sound stilted, it occurs with some frequency in informal writing, particularly in the phrase lack of same, as in It is a question of money, or lack of same.
