heteronym

Definition | Meaning

  1. Any word identical to another in its written form, but different in sound and meaning.

Example | Illustration

  • the present tense of the verb ‘to read’ (i.e. “Let’s read this story together”.) and the past participle of the same verb (i.e. “He read me a lovely poem”.)

Etymology | Origin

haplology

Definition | Meaning

  1. A sporadic sound change characterized by the omission in speech of one of several consecutive identical sounds or syllables.

Example | Illustration

  • instead of pronouncing three individual ‘w’s to describe the ‘www’ of a URL address, people may only pronounce one or two ‘w’s

Etymology | Origin

gerund

Definition | Meaning

  • In English, the verbal form ending in ‘-ing’, conveying the meaning of the verb but used as a noun.

Example | Illustration

  • Martha Stewart Living magazine

genericide

Defintion | Meaning

  1. The process by which a trademark becomes synonymous with its associated category, to the point it may cease to be legally protectable.

Example | Illustration

  • Google brand search engine > ‘to google’
  • Rollerblade brand inline skates > ‘to rollerblade’
  • Xerox brand photocopier > ‘to xerox’

Note

  • To a trademark attorney, genericide is a major headache, but, to a marketing professional, it can be the classic good problem to have. It means that your offering is dominating its category, and you must pair your brand name with an existing or new category descriptor.

formative

Definition | Meaning

  1. 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