Same means not different; exactly like something else in every important way. It is used to show that two or more things are identical or equal in kind.
From Old Norse *sami* or *samr*, meaning 'same, similar', brought into English by Viking influence. It is related to a Germanic root meaning 'together, unified'.
Same is about erasing difference, but it quietly depends on us noticing difference first. You only call two things 'the same' after comparing them in your mind. The word shows that sameness is actually a decision about what differences you choose to ignore.
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