doublet

Definition | Meaning

  1. A pair of words which share a common origin, but which have distinct shades of meaning.

Example | Illustation

  • The English words vibrate and vibrant are both derived from the Latin word vibrare ‘to vibrate, to shake’, but vibrate means ‘to shake, to quiver’ and vibrant means ‘vigorous, energetic, radiant’.

diminutive

Definition | Meaning

  1. Any brand name created by adding a suffix denoting smallness, youthfulness, familiarity, or affection.

Example | Illustration

  • in English, diminutives are usually formed with the suffixes ‘-y’, ‘-ies’, or ‘-kin’
  • Huggies diapers
  • Wheaties breakfast cereal

Etymology | Origin

descriptor

Definition | Meaning

  1. A word which literally describes the product or service being identified, often functioning as a category name and generally paired with a fanciful, arbitrary, or suggestive name to form a complete brand name.

Example | Illustration

  • Kleenex facial tissue, where Kleenex is a fanciful name and facial tissue is a descriptor

Etymology | Origin

Compare | See

  • category name