Homophones for absinth, absinthe

absinth / absinthe [ˈæbsɪnθ]

absinth – n. – 1. the plant, wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, the extract is bitter and has both medicinal and culinary uses; 2. related plants from this genus such as sagebrush; 3. figuratively, for something unpalatable

absinthe – adj. & n. – adj. – a shade of green similar in colour to this alcohol; n. – a bitter, aniseed flavoured alcohol made from distilled wine, wormwood and other herbs

Discussion:

Although these nouns are very close, they are not interchangeable. The one with the ‘e’ are products extracted from the plant, never the plant, itself.

One needs to distinguish the natural resource from its products and that’s what makes the final ‘e’ so critical.

It should also be noted that the figurative use is without the ‘e’ just like the plant.