All posts by Brent

simile

Definition | Meaning:

  1. A figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two unlike objects via a construction such as like, as, than, similar to, resembles, etc.

Example | Illustration:

  • The former Chevy slogan ‘Like A Rock’ is a simile for ‘tough’.

root

Definition | Meaning:

  1. The semantic kernel from which a set of words is derived by phonetic, morphemic, and/or semantic change.

Example | Illustration:

  • The shared semantic kernel of the words ‘black’, ‘blue’, ‘blond’, and ‘blush’ is the Indo-European root *bhel-, which originally referred (several thousand years ago) to the colors seen in a fire.

Compare | See”

  • semantics

referent

Definition | Meaning:

  1. 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:

  1. 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:

  1. 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.