List some words ending in -nym.
language/english/spelling/nym
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List some words ending in -nym.
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A list of words ending in "-nym." Uncommon words are followed by
references in brackets ([]) to the list of sources at the end.
This list originally composed by
William M. Kolb (bkolb@arinc.com), 14 March 1990
A dyadic nym (d) must have at least one referent or related word
e.g., a synonym, whereas a monadic nym (m) is independent of other
words, e.g., a contronym.
Acronym (d) Formed from the letters of several words (radar).
Allonym (d) Someone else's name (George Washington Carver).
Ananym (d) A pseudonym that has the letters of the
name arranged backwards (Salgoud:Douglas).
Anatonym (m) A part of the body used as a verb (toe the
line; face the music; foot the bill). [Led]
Anonym (m) A person whose name is not given, who
remains nameless.
Anthroponym(ic) (m) A person's name, esp. surname. [Web2] [Web3]
Antonym (d) A word opposite in meaning to another word
(hot:cold).
Aptronym (d) A name devised to be characterizing or
descriptive (Miss Neat; Felicity Foote).
[Ber], [Led]
Autonym (m) A book published under the author's real
name. [OED] A word that describes itself
(mispelled; hippopotomonstrosesqui-
pedalian).[Led]
Bacronym (d) Reverse acronym in which letters are
arranged to form a word that already exists
in the language and cleverly underscores some
quality of the words that form it (ZIP;
VISTA; NOW; MADD). [Led]
Basonym (d) The earliest validly published name of a
taxon, being in the case of a binomial or
trinomial the source of the valid specific or
subspecific epithet when the taxon is
transferred to a new combination and in
technical usage always accompanied by the
name of the original author. (Crataegus
spicata Lamark:Amelanchier spicata] [Web3]
Caconym (m) A taxonomic name that is objectionable for
linguistic reasons [Web3]. Bad or wrongly
derived name.
Capitonym (d) A word that changes pronunciation and
meaning when it is capitalized (job; august;
colon; herb; lima; mobile; nice; ravel;
reading). [Led]
Charactonym (d) The name of a literary character that is
especially suited to his personality (Mr.
Scrooge; Marcus Welby). [Led]
Chironym (m) Manuscript named for a species, having no
taxonomic validity until published. [Web2]
Consonym (d) Words that have the same pattern of consonants
(eTHNiC:THeNCe; SPoNGe:eSPioNaGe). [Led]
Contranym (m) See Contronym.
Contronym (m) A single word with diametrically opposed
meanings (awful; left; dust; handicap;
oversight; moot; critical; impregnable; gaum;
artificial; amusing). [Led]
Cryptonym (m) A private or secret name (Agent 007).
Demonym (d) The name (of an Athenian citizen)
according to the deme to which he belonged. [OED]
Desynonym(ous) (d) Words that were previously synonymous but are now
differentiated; originally alike but have taken
on unlike meanings (bishop/presbyter) [OED]
Dionym (m) A name consisting of two terms as the
names in zoology or botany, the two terms of
which denote respectively the genus and
species (Tyrannosaurus Rex). [OED]
Domunym (m) Literally "home name," is a word used to
identify people from particular places
(Philadelphians; Annapolitans). [Led]
Eponym (d) One who gives, or is supposed to give, his
name to a people, place, or institution
(Romulus is the eponym of Rome).
Euonym (m) Lucky or auspicious name (Celeste Holmes;
Harry Truman).
Exonym (d) A place name that foreigners use instead
of the name that natives use (Cologne:Koln;
Florence: Firenze; Morocco:Maroc). [Led]
Filionym(ic) (d) A name derived from that of a son [OED]
Heteronym (d) A word having the same spelling as
another, but a different sound and meaning:
opp. to homonym and synonym (lead); a name of
a thing in one language which is a
translation of the name in another language
(rue-street).
Homonym (d) Same sound but different meaning
(to:too:two); spelled and pronounced like
another word but of different origin and
meaning (bat; mint).
Hydronym(y) (m) Names of bodies of water. [Web3]
Hyponym (d) Unilateral as opposed to bilateral
substitute (tulip->flower; scarlet->red).
Isonym (d) Word of same derivation or form as
another; cognate word. [DDW]
Malonym (d) A humorous homophone or sound-alike
mistake: "Our menu is guaranteed to wet
(whet) your appetite." [Led]
Matronym (d) Name taken from mother (also metronym).
Metanym (d) A generic name rejected because based on a
type species congeneric with the type of a
previously published genus. [Web3]
Metonym (d) A word used in a transferred sense
(Crown:England; White House: US Executive
Branch; jock:athlete).
Metronym (d) See Matronym.
Mononym (m) A term consisting of one word only. [OED]
Neuronym (m) Name of a nerve or part of the nervous
system. [Web2]
Onym (m) A proposed term or a technical name, as of
a species or other group in zoology, etc.,
forming part of a recognized system of
nomenclature. [OED]. Scientific name. [DDW]
Organonym (m) The technical name of an organ. [OED]
Oronym (d) phrases or sentences that can be read in
two ways with the same sound (I scream: ice
cream [rec.puzzles Archive (language)]
Paedonym(ic) (d) A name derived from one's child (Althea
Meleagris, mother of Meleager). [Web2]
Paronym (d) A word which is derived from another, or
from the same root; a derivative or cognate
word (just: justice). [OED] Formed from a
word in another language. [Web3]
Patronym (d) Family name; surname; name taken from
father (Richardson; O'Grady). [Led]
Poecilonym (d) One of various names for the same thing; a synonym. [OED]
Polyonym (d) Each of a number of different words having
the same meaning (Jupiter:Zeus:Oden). [OED]
Polypseudonym(ous) (d) Having many pseudonyms. [Web2]
Protonym (d) The first person or thing of the name;
that from which another is named (the space
shuttle Enterprise's protonym hangs in the
museum). [OED]
Pseudoantonym (d) A word that appears to mean the opposite
of what it actually means (unloosen;
inflammable; ingenious; despoil; impassive). [Kolb]
Pseudoeponym (m) A name erroneously given to the year. [OED]
Pseudonym (d) A false or fictitious name (Mark
Twain:Samuel Clemens).
Retronym (d) Adjective-noun pairing generated by a
change in the meaning of the noun, usually
because of technology (soap->bar soap;
book->hardcover book). [Led]
Sideronym (d) A pseudonym consisting of the name of a
celestial body (Madam Altaira). [Web2]
Synonym (d) Strictly, a word having the same sense as
another in the same language; but more
usually, either or any of two or more words
having the same general sense, but possessing
each of them meanings which are not shared by
the other or others, or having different
shades of meaning or implications appropriate
to different contexts (serpent-snake;
silent-quiet).
Tautonymn (m) Repetition of the word for genus and
species (Cholis Cholis; Mephistis Mephistis;
Rattus Rattus). [OED] [Web3] A word composed
of two identical parts (tomtom; tutu;
muumuu). [Led]
Teknonym (d) The practice among certain primitive
peoples of giving to the parent the name of
the child [WebE]. Naming a thing by
substituting one of its attributes or a term
it suggests (Chief Sitting Bull) [Ber]
Tetronym(ic) (m) Name consisting of four parts. [OED]
Toponym (d) A personal name derived from a place (John
Denver); name of or designating a place
Trionym (m) A name consisting of three terms; a
trinomial name in botany or zoology. [OED]
Typonym (m) Taxonomic name based on a type of specimen
instead of a diagnosis.
[Ber] "Bernstein's Reverse Dictionary", Theodore M. Bernstein, 1988.
[DDW] "A Dictionary of Difficult Words", Robert H. Hill
[Kolb] Self-declared unless someone finds the word for it
[Led] "Crazy English", Richard Lederer, 1989.
[OED] Oxford English Dictionary
[Web2] Merriam-Webster's New International Dictionary, 2nd ed.
[Web3] Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary
[WebE] Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary (1989)