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-onym



The suffix ''–onym'', in English, means "word, name," and words ending in ''–onym'' refer to a specified kind of name or word, most of which are classical compounds. For example, an acronym is a word formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term (as radar). The use of -onym words provides a means of classifying, often to a fine degree of resolution, sets of nouns with common attributes.

In some words, the ''-onym'' form has been modified by replacing (or dropping) the "o." In the examples ''ananym'' and ''metanym,'' the correct forms (''anonym'' and ''metonym'') were pre-occupied by other meanings. Other, late 20th century examples, such as ''hypernym'' and ''characternym,'' are typically incorrectly formed neologisms for which there are more traditional words formed in ''-onym'' (''hyperonym'' and ''charactonym'').

The English suffix ''-onym'' is from the Greek suffix –ώνυμον [-''ōnymon''], neuter of -ώνυμος (''-ōnymos''), having a specified kind of name, from the Greek ονομα [''ónoma''], Aeolic Greek ονυμα [''ónyma'', ''ónyma''], "name." The form -ώνυμος (''-ōnymos'') is that taken by (''ónoma'', "name") when it is the end component of a bahuvrihi compound, but in English its use is extended to tatpurusa compounds.

According to a 1988 study of words ending in ''-onym'', there are four discernible classes of ''-onym'' words: (1) historic, classic, or, for want of better terms, naturally occurring or common words; (2) scientific terminology, particularly occurring in linguistics, onomastics, etc.; (3) language games; and (4) nonce words. Older terms are known to gain new, sometimes contradictory, meanings (e.g., ''eponym'' and ''cryptonym''). In many cases, two or more words describe the same phenomenon, but no precedence is discernable (e.g., ''necronym'' and ''penthonym''). New words are sometimes created, unnecessarily, the meaning of which duplicate existing terms. Occasionally, new words are formed with little regard to historical principles.

Words that end in -onym

























































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Source: Wikipedia