Definition | Meaning
- A compound whose meaning as a whole is not predictable from the meanings of its individual components.
Example | Illustration
Etymology | Origin
Tag Archives: F
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
fanciful name
Definition | Meaning
- A brand name invented without apparent reference to any other word in the lexicon.
Example | Illustration
- Kodak is the classic example of a fanciful trade name.
- Oreo is the classic example of a fanciful product name.