All Questions
7
questions
-1
votes
1
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Is there a word for when the name of something describes or defines how it is made?
I am wondering if there is a word for this as described in the title.
My example: I am writing about a SWANA ingredient/food product by the name of "Freekeh", which is based on the Arabic ...
3
votes
2
answers
423
views
Are there any pairs of English words that are cognate to each other yet have opposite meanings?
Alright, here's the best way I can explain this: if, hypothetically, the word pairs (love, loathe) and (friend, fiend) were cognates (i.e. they shared an etymological ancestor), they would be ...
- 225
4
votes
3
answers
746
views
Medieval word for unraveling the yarn of a yarn garment to remake it
The word for untangling yarn or taking apart a yarn garment, 'unravel' (or 'ravel'), has an early modern origin. But people (especially, one imagines, the English) have been taking apart yarn garments ...
- 807
1
vote
1
answer
412
views
Term for appending "-esque" or "-ish" to a a word to form an adjective
What is the name of the term for when someone transforms a noun into an adjective by appending -esque or -ish to the end of the noun? I see this in cases where an appropriate adjective doesn't readily ...
- 317
8
votes
5
answers
2k
views
What is the term for the origin of a cliche?
From wiki sources :
A cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being trite ...
- 4,744
9
votes
6
answers
5k
views
When did "phone" become accepted as its own word? When did phone start to replace 'phone?
In older print publications, I have come across telephone shortened to 'phone, with an apostrophe to mark where the beginning of the word had been omitted. Now, however, phone does not need an ...
- 11.9k
3
votes
2
answers
614
views
What is the name of combination, in error, of similar or related words? (E.g.: segueway)
Is there a technical term for combination, in error, of similar or related words? This question is prompted by the following malapropism or solecism, from an article by Elizabeth Montalbano in ...
- 66.8k