Juncture vs Junction

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Juncture vs Junction. Whats the difference?
Some words in the English language are actually just deviations of an original word. After being deviated, they have gone off as their own word, being used for different purposes. Sometimes, the original meaning disappears, and they are completely a different word. There are times, though, that although they are used for different purposes, they still retain a meaning that is close to where it stemmed from.

Take, for instance, the words juncture and junction. Both obviously stem from just one root word, but one can’t really say that these words mean exactly the same. Actually, the reason why these two words have different meanings is because of their form. Both are nouns, but the suffixes are different, so obviously, something has to be different as well.

Juncture, according to the dictionaries, is a noun that implies a place where to things meet or join. Another definition of the word juncture denotes a significant moment in time. This, then, would seem very metaphorical or poetic.

Junction, on the other hand, implies a certain process of the merging or joining of two things. This word actually has specific meanings to certain contexts. For instance, when used in nautical purposes, a junction is actually the location wherein a stream with different channels deviate from its source or the main stream. In radio or television, a junction is a moment in time in between shows that are completely irrelevant to each other.

The tricky part here is that the two words may have a very similar definition, among their other definitions. Both can actually be used to imply a place where things meet or join. As such, you may hear people use the two words interchangeably, and this is often acceptable since both words actually had the same meanings in the past. However, it would still be best to use them for their main meanings to avoid confusion.