same
Definitions
Identical; exactly alike, not different
相同的，一样的
Unchanged; the very one referred to before
没有变化的；同一个
The same person or thing as mentioned
同样的人或事物
Root Breakdown
Native Englishsame is the Germanic cousin in this family. It was inherited directly from PIE *sem- ('one, together'), not borrowed from Latin like similar. So while it has no prefix or suffix to split, it shares the deepest root: 'counted as one' = the same.
Root sim still carries 56 more wordsWhy It Means This
It feels like a plain everyday word, but same is a living fossil of the same Indo-European root *sem- that produced similar, simulate and (through Greek) symbol. English inherited it through its Germanic line, which is why it looks nothing like its Latin-borrowed relatives — yet the meaning, 'one and not two,' is exactly the seed of the whole sim/sem family.
Usage Guide
- Almost always takes the: the same, not 'a same.'
- Common pattern: the same ... as (the same car as mine), not 'the same than.'
- 'all the same' / 'just the same' = an idiom meaning 'nevertheless.'
- As a pronoun in formal/legal English: 'payment for same.'
Example Sentences
- 1.
We took the same train to work every morning.
- 2.
Her answer was exactly the same as mine.
- 3.
He hasn't changed at all; he's still the same.
- 4.
It's raining, but we'll go all the same.