Definition | Meaning
- A compound whose meaning as a whole is not predictable from the meanings of its individual components.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
Category Archives: Uncategorized
formulaic phrase
Definition | Meaning
- A traditional turn of phrase, often dismissed as a cliché, but in origin a mnemonic device.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
formative
Definition | Meaning
- Any affix (prefix, suffix, or infix) which unites a set of otherwise unrelated names.
Example | Illustration
- McChicken, McNuggets, and McRibs are examples of the McDonald’s ‘Mc-’ brand name prefix formative, which the company has successfully defended in court
Etymology | Origin
folk etymology
Definition | Meaning
- Any popular but false notion of a word’s origins.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
exclamatory sentence
Definition | Meaning
- Any brand name consisting of a complete exclamation designed to express an emotional reaction to the product and invariably marked with an exclamation point.
Example | Illustration
- Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific! shampoo
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! margarine
Etymology | Origin
euphony
Definition | Meaning
- A smooth, mellifluous sound effect, irrespective of meaning.
Example | Illustration
- to most English speakers, the name Charmin is pleasant to the ear, regardless of its meaning
Etymology | Origin
- French euphonie < Late Latin euphonia < Greek euphonia < euphonos ‘sweet-voiced’ < eu- ‘good, well’ + phone ‘sound’
Compare | See
- dissonance
euphemism
Definition | Meaning
- Any inoffensive substitute for a term considered offensive or inappropriate.
Example | Illustration
- Cottonelle UltraSoft Double Roll bathroom tissue is a lengthy euphemism for toilet paper
Etymology | Origin
- Greek eu ‘good’ + pheme ‘speech’
euonym
Definition | Meaning
- Any brand name particularly well-suited to its positioning and/or purpose.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
ethos
Definition | Meaning
- The distinctive beliefs of a company, typically instilled, consciously or unconsciously, by its founders.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
eponym
Definition | Meaning
- Any brand name derived from a personal name, even if that person is fictitious, mysterious, or legendary.
Example | Illustration
- Aunt Jemima
- Betty Crocker
- Michael Jordan
- Barbie
Etymology | Origin
- French éponyme < Greek eponumos ‘named after’ < epi- ‘after’ + onuma ‘name’
Compare | See
- matronym
- patronym