homo
word
/ˈhoʊmoʊ/
HOH-moh
/hˈəʊməʊ/
HOH-moh
Definition
'Homo' can be an offensive slang word for a homosexual man, or a scientific prefix referring to humans (as in 'Homo sapiens').
Usage & Nuances
As slang, 'homo' is offensive and should not be used. Acceptable in scientific terms like 'Homo sapiens'. Do not confuse with 'homo-' the prefix for 'same' in words like 'homogeneous'.
Spanish: homo (persona homosexual) - hombre (prefijo científico)Portuguese (BR): homo (pessoa homossexual) - homo (prefixo científico)Portuguese (PT): homo (pessoa homossexual) - homo (prefixo científico)Chinese (Simplified): 同性恋者（贬义）- 人类属（科学术语，前缀）Chinese (Traditional): 同性戀者（貶義）- 人類屬（科學術語，前綴）Hindi: होमो (अपमानजनक तौर पर समलैंगिक पुरुष) - हॉमो (वैज्ञानिक उपसर्ग)Arabic: هومو (مثلي الجنس - غالباً مهين) - هومو (بادئة علمية)Bengali: হোমো (বৈজ্ঞানিক শ্রেণিবিন্যাসে) - অপমানজনক শব্দ (সমকামী পুরুষের জন্য)Russian: гомо (научный термин) - гомо (оскорбительное обозначение гомосексуального мужчины)Japanese: ホモ（学術用語） - ホモ（差別的なスラング）Vietnamese: homo (từ khoa học) - homo (từ lóng xúc phạm)Korean: 호모 (학술 용어) - 호모 (모욕적인 속어)Turkish: homo (bilimsel terim) - homo (hakaret içeren argo)Urdu: ہومو (سائنسی اصطلاح) - ہومو (اہانت آمیز لفظ)Indonesian: homo (istilah ilmiah) - homo (istilah kasar untuk pria homoseksual)
Example Sentences
The word 'homo' appears in many scientific names, like 'Homo erectus'.
basic
You should never call someone a 'homo'—it's really hurtful.
natural
My teacher explained that 'Homo sapiens' means modern humans.
natural
'Homo' is the genus name for humans in scientific classification.
basic
Some people wrongly use 'homo' to insult others.
basic
Whenever I see 'homo' in a book, I check if it's about science or something else.
natural