Homonomous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing an organism whose body is divided into repeated segments that are all alike in form and structure
2. Having serially repeated body parts that resemble one another closely, as in certain worms and arthropods
3. Characterized by a series of identical or near-identical segments arranged along the length of the body

Etymology: "Homonomous" is built from two Greek elements: "homós", meaning "same", and "nómos", meaning "law" or "custom". Put together, the word literally means "of the same law" or "governed by the same rule." In English it is used to describe things that are subject to the same law or regulation, and it sits comfortably beside its close relatives in the vocabulary of rules and order. The word is a straightforward compound, assembled in English from classical materials rather than passed down unchanged from ancient speakers. Its parts are easy to recognise in other words too: "homo-" appears in "homogeneous" and "homonym," while "-nomous" links it to "autonomous," which combines "autós" ("self") with the same "nómos" to mean "governed by oneself." Seeing the shared element makes the logic of the word clear: the prefix sets the scope, and the second half names the law.