Definition | Meaning:
- The concrete object or concept symbolized by a brand name.
Example | Illustration:
- The shared referent of Coca-Cola, Coke, and ‘The Real Thing’ is the Coca-Cola brand soft drink.
retronym
Definition | Meaning:
- A new category name developed in response to the development of another new category name, in order to avoid confusion as the result of a cultural or technological change.
Example | Illustration:
- ‘acoustic guitar’ in response to ‘electric guitar’
- ‘analog watch’ in response to ‘digital watch’
- ‘live performance’ in response to ‘pre-recorded performance’
- ‘real cream’ in response to ‘non-dairy creamer’
- ‘snail-mail’ in response to ‘e-mail’
- ‘whole milk’ in response to ‘skim milk’
reduplication
Definition | Meaning:
- The repetition of syllables within a brand name.
Example | Illustration:
- The initial syllables of Boboli brand Italian bread crust are an example of reduplication.
Note:
- Reduplication is relatively rare within English, but it is a common word formation technique within many other language families, including Malayo-Polynesian.
range brand
Definition | Meaning:
- A brand which extends across several categories, usually related.
Example | Illustration:
- Gillette’s Oral-B range brand
- General Electric
- Mitsubishi
Compare | See
- megabrand
psycholinguistics
Definition | Meaning
- The study of the psychological factors involved in the perception of, and response to, language.
Example | Illustration
- the memorability of brand names
Etymology | Origin
Compare | See
- linguistics
pseudo-semantic development
Definition | Meaning
- The acquisition by a word of a new meaning under the influence of another word in the same associative field.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
Compare | See
- associative field
pseudonym
Definition | Meaning
- A false name adopted to protect a trade secret, and, not coincidentally, to arouse the interest of the target market.
Example | Illustration
- Ginger was the pseudonym of the Segway human transporter
Etymology | Origin
Compare | See
- code name
proprietary name
Definition | Meaning
- Any name capable of being owned and trademarked, as opposed to a descriptive name.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
Compare | See
- descriptive name
product brand
Definition | Meaning:
- A brand associated with a product or family of products.
Example | Illustration:
- The iPhone is a product brand.
portmanteau word
Definition | Meaning
- Any word or brand name created by the whimsical blending of two or more other words, as found in the works of Lewis Carroll.
Example | Illustration
- Snapple, a portmanteau of the English words ‘snap’ and ‘apple’
Etymology | Origin
Compare | See
- blend