Janus word

English Etymology From Janus, the two-faced Roman god of doorways and transitions. Noun A word that has two contradictory meanings; a contronym. en 1971 Reasons for Actions: A Critique of Utilitarian Rationality Richard J. Norman 67 A pro-attitude cannot be regarded as rational unless it can be justified by showing that the object of the attitude can be characterized by means of a Janus-word. en 1994 The poetics of drowning Nancy Dena Goldfarb 37 The poet is caught in the contradiction of this Janus word. Both and neither speaking and/nor silent, the poet becomes the contradiction in which the title "Dichtermuth" involves him. en 1996 Janus Parallelism in the Book of Job Scott B. Noegel 187 The difference between them is that in Janus parallelism, the referents of the Janus word do not contain the same root as the Janus word; in antanaclasis, the same root is repeated with a different meaning. en eponyms