Synonym, homonym, antonym, contronym, metonym, toponym, eponym. . . . we have talked about these in past posts. Here are four new ones for you:
Hyponym – A word of more specific meaning than a general term applicable to it. For example, spoon is a hyponym of cutlery. Here are some more:
- Monkey is a hyponym of animal.
- Rose is a hyponym of flower.
- Shirt is a hyponym of clothing.
You get the picture! Easy one.
Autonym -Well, auto means self. Autonym is a name given to an individual or group by themselves, rather than by anyone outside. For example, Deutsche is the autonym of the people known in English as Germans. Often autonym is used to refer to an author who uses their own name rather than a pseudonym on their books.
Euonyn – A name well suited to the person, place, or thing named. Here are some examples:
- Charity for a woman who gives her time and money
- Dr. Cutt for a surgeon
- Michael Fast for a an Olympic runner
Caconym -A bad word, bad for whatever reason—badly constructed, insulting, ugly, etc. As autonyms and euonyms, many times caconyms are present in biology and botany. Caconym seems to be the opposite of euonym. Here are some non-scientific examples:
- Naming a baby Nancy when your last name is Fancy
- A child whose name is Willard W. Walkington the 5th
- A perfume named Stinko
A short one today….next week, something for Halloween!
Thanks for the link, Arlene. Okay, so my eyes failed me. And so did my brain (which is probably little more than an extension of my failing brain).
I have to say I enjoyed reading this short blog. You made several big points, however. I recall a book I read not long after I married my husband (the naval officer). The book was meant to induct new wives into the world of military officers’ wives. One of the author’s more frequent uses was an unfortunate name: Ensign Benson (an ensign being the lowest Navy officer rank). For two entire years of the young man’s life he had to suffer the jokes.
I’m sure there are more of these. If I come up with any other caconyms I’ll let you know. The least we can do is to share a chuckle.
Thanks for the comment Great Cate! And that is no caconym!
I do learn so much from you, Arlene. thank you so much.
Thank you so much for the nice comment! Much appreciated!