Onyms
Words ending in "-onym" are often used to describe different classes of words, and the relationships between words. The "-onym" literally means 'name', from the Greek onoma meaning 'name' or 'word'.
| Acronym | An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of a series of words and pronounced as one word; e.g. radar from radio detection and ranging |
| Allonym | 1 An assumed name 2 The name of another person, especially that of a significant historical figure, assumed by somebody, especially a writer |
| Anacronym | An acronym that is so well-established that its origin is no longer remembered |
| Ananym | A name written backwards and used as a pseudonym; e.g. Rellim is a ananym of Miller |
| Anatonym | A word that refers to a part of the body and which is used as a verb; e.g. 'to toe the line'; 'to face the music'; to eye the target' |
| Anonym | Another word for pseudonym |
| Antagonym | A single word that has meanings that contradict each other; e.g. bad for good |
| Anthroponym | A person's name, especially a surname |
| Antonym | Either of a pair of words that have opposite (or near-opposite) meanings; e.g. wet and dry |
| Apostonym | A word that becomes a different word when an apostrophe is removed from it; e.g. can't - cant; he'll - hell; she'll - shell |
| Aptronym | A person's name that matches its owner's occupation or character (either in fiction or reality), often in a humorous or ironic way; e.g. Arctic explorer Will Snow |
| Aristonym | A surname used as, or derived from, a formal title of nobility or a high rank; e.g. Thomas Harold Andre Le Duc |
| Autoantonym | Another word for contronym |
| Autonym | 1 A word that describes itself; e.g. noun is a noun 2 A person's real name; the opposite of pseudonym 3 A name by which a social group or race refers to itself |
| Bacronym | Another word for backronym |
| Backronym | The reverse of producing an acronym; taking a word that already exists and creating a phrase (often humorous) using the letters of the word as initials; e.g. Guaranteed Overnight Delivery (GOD) |
| Basonym | The earliest validly published name of a taxon, being in the case of a binomial or trinomial the source of the valid specific or subspecific epithet when the taxon is transferred to a new combination and in technical usage always accompanied by the name of the original author; e.g. Crataegus spicata Lamark; Amelanchier spicata |
| Caconym | 1 A word that is wrongly applied 2 A misnomer 3 The incorrect name for something, especially in the classification of plants, etc. |
| Capitonym | A word that changes its meaning and pronunciation when capitalised; e.g. polish and Polish |
| Charactonym | The name of a fictional character that is especially suited to his or her personality; e.g. Scrooge for a miserly person; Sherlock Holmes for a detective |
| Chironym | A manuscript named for a species, having no taxonomic validity until published |
| Cohyponym | A word that is one of multiple hyponyms of another word |
| Consonym | On of two (or more) words that have the same pattern of consonants; e.g. eTHNiC - THeNCe; SPoNGe - eSPioNaGe |
| Contranym | Another word for contronym |
| Contronym | A word that can take two (or more) opposite meanings; e.g. fast means 'moving quickly' or 'fixed firmly in place' |
| Cryptonym | 1 A code name 2 A word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word |
| Demonym | A name of persons/people that refers to the place they come from; e.g. a Cypriot is a person from Cyprus; a Roman from Rome |
| Desynonym | A word that was previously synonymous with another but is now different; e.g. bishop/presbyter |
| Dionym | A name containing two parts or terms |
| Domunym | Another word for demonym |
| Eponym | A name or word derived from the name of a real or fictional person; e.g. sandwich from the Earl of Sandwich |
| Ethonym | The name of a people or ethnic group; e.g. Albanians |
| Euonym | 1 A word well suited to a person, place or thing so named 2 A pleasant or beautiful name |
| Euphonym | A euphonious synonym |
| Exonym | A place name used by foreigners that differs from the name used by its natives; e.g. Londres is the French exonym for London |
| Filionym | A name derived from that of a son |
| Genonym | A botanical genus name |
| Heteronym | One of two (or more) words that have the same spelling, but different sounds and meanings; e.g. bow of a ship and bow and arrow |
| Hiernym | A surname based on a sacred name; e.g. St. John |
| Holonym | A word for the whole and of which other words are part; e.g. house contains roof, door and window; car comprises steering-wheel and engine |
| Homonym | One of two (or more) words that are pronounced and spelt the same, but have different meanings; e.g. bat, the mammal, and bat, the club |
| Hydronym | A name for a body of water; e.g. River Thames; Lake Superior |
| Hypernym | Another word for hyperonym |
| Hyperonym | A word of general meaning applicable to more specific, related words; a superordinate; e.g. in the relationship between horse and animal, animal is a hypernym; between chair and furniture, furniture is a hypernym |
| Hyponym | A word of more specific meaning than, and therefore implying or able to be replaced by, another more general or superordinate term; e.g. in the relationship between horse and animal, horse is a hyponym; between chair and furniture, chair is a hyponym |
| Isonym | 1 A word that is spelt the same as another but sounds differently 2 A word of the same derivation as another and therefore a cognate of that word |
| Malonym | 1 A metaphor, cliché, or popular expression mangled by the use of an incorrect word; e.g. 'Look before you leak' might have been the motto of the Titanic's captain 2 An ill-considered offering by a spell checker |
| Matronym | Another word for metronym |
| Meronym | A word that names a part that belongs to and is therefore subordinate to a larger entity; e.g. door or window in house; ankle in leg; brim in hat |
| Metanym | A generic name rejected because based on a type species congeneric with the type of a previously published genus |
| Metonym | A figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated; e.g. the press referring to journalists; the Crown referring to the monarchy |
| Metronym | A name derived from the name of one's mother, or another female ancestor |
| Mononym | A term consisting of one word only |
| Morphonym | A zoological species name |
| Neuronym | A name of a nerve or part of the nervous system |
| Onym | A proposed term or a technical name, as of a species or other group in zoology, etc., forming part of a recognised nomenclature |
| Organonym | The technical name of an organ |
| Oronym | A string of words that sounds the same, but is spelled differently from another string of words; e.g. ice cream and I scream; mint spy and mince pie |
| Paedonym | A name derived from one's child; e.g. Althea Meleagris, mother of Meleager |
| Paranym | A word whose meaning is altered to conceal evasion |
| Paronym | A word that is related to another word and derives from the same root; e.g. beautiful and beauteous; dubious and doubtful |
| Patronym | A name derived from the name of one's father, or another male ancestor; e.g. John's son - Johnson; MacDonald - son of Donald |
| Phytonym | The name of a plant;e.g. rosebush |
| Poecilonym | One of various names for the same thing; a synonym |
| Polyonym | A name consisting of several words |
| Polypseudonym | Having many pseudonyms |
| Protonym | The first person or thing of the name; that from which another is named |
| Pseudoantonym | A word that appears to mean the opposite of what it actually means; e.g. unloosen; inflammable; ingenious; despoil |
| Pseudoeponym | A name eroneously given to the year |
| Pseudonym | An assumed name; pen name; nom de plume; e.g. George Orwell was the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair |
| Retronym | An adjective-noun pairing generated by a change in the meaning of the base noun, usually as a result of technological advance; e.g. watch that existed on its own originally and then had a preceding analog added to it, in order to differentiate it from a digital watch |
| Sideronym | A pseudonym consisting of the name of a celestial body; e.g. Madam Altaira |
| Synonym | On of two (or more) words that have the same (or very similar) meaning; e.g. big and large; error and mistake; run and sprint |
| Tautonym | 1 A word composed of two identical parts; e.g. pawpaw; yoyo; tutu; bye-bye 2 In biological momenclature, a taxonomic name in which the genus and species names are identical; e.g. puffinus puffinus (manx shearwater); apus appus (common swift) |
| Teknonym | 1 The practice among certain primitve peoples of giving to the parent the name of the child 2 Naming a thing by substituting one of its attributes or a term it suggests; e.g. Chief Sitting Bull |
| Tetronym | A name consisting of four parts |
| Toponym | 1 A place name; e.g. London; Mount Everest 2 A word derived from a place name; e.g. champagne from Champagne in France; cashmere from Kashmir in India |
| Trionym | 1 A name consisting of three terms 2 A trinomial name in boatny or zoology |
| Troponym | A verb that indicates more precisely the manner of doing something by its replacing a verb of a more genaralised meaning; e.g. the verb to stroll indicates a more leisurely, casual manner of to walk |
| Typonym | A taxonomic name based on a type of specimen instead of a diagnosis |
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