Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tpos () ("place") and noma () ("name").
Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds.
Test your familiarity with toponyms by taking this quiz: match the 12 words below with the names of the places
where they originated. You'll find the answers on page two.
Words
(a) bohemian (b) dungarees (c) jeans (d) seltzer (e) ammonia (f) bunk (or bunkum) (g) tuxedo (h) daiquiri (i)
bikini (j) spa (k) morgue (l) laconic
1. an oasis in the Libyan Desert (a place where camels relieved themselves while their masters prayed for
good omens)
2. one of a series of islands in the South Pacific where nuclear bombs were tested in the 1940s
3. a former kingdom of the present-day Czech Republic
4. a phonetic spelling of a county in western North Carolina
5. a village in India, now a section of Mumbai
6. the district around Sparta in ancient Greece
7. a village in eastern Cuba
8. a seaport in northern Italy
9. a resort town in eastern Belgium
10. a village near Weisbaden in Germany
11. a building in Paris
12. a village in Orange County, New York
1. e (ammonia)
2. i (bikini)
3. a (bohemian)
4. f (bunk and bunkum)
5. b (dungarees)
6. l (laconic)
7. h (daiquiri)
8. c (jeans)
9. j (spa)
10. d (seltzer)
11. k (morgue)
12. g (tuxedo)
Definition
Ground beef
sandwich
Place
Word
Definition
Health club
German city Hamburger
Men's formal wear
German city Frankfurter Forbidden sexual activity
Hot dog
Austrian city Wiener
To kidnap a person for
Type of swimsuit
Pacific atoll Bikini
service on a ship
Type of lunch meat Italian city
Bologna Paper used in certain
Ball sport
English town Rugby
envelopes
Porcelain
Country
China
Extinct human species
Unconventional and
Fragmentation into
Czech region Bohemian
artistic
smaller countries
Cylindrical red hat Moroccan city Fez
Overly complex
Long race
Greek city
Marathon Sweet, fortified wine
Type of pastry
Country
Danish
Homosexual woman
Mustard
French city
Dijon
Yellow bird
Place
Belgian city
New York city
Biblical city
Word
Spa
Tuxedo
Sodomy
Chinese city
Shanghai
Philippine city
Manila
German valley
Neanderthal
European region
Balkanization
Byzantine
Port
Lesbian
Canary
MEMORIAL
Some words originated from people's names. Generally, these people served the world in some special way and
then gained immortality through the word named after them. Since these name words often have unique
spellings, they can present problems for spellers.
Word
America
ampere
boycott
braille
Celsius
chauvinism
dahlia
diesel
Fahrenheit
guy
herculean
macadam
martinet
maverick
nicotine
ohm
pasteurize
poinsettia
quixotic
sandwich
Person
Amerigo Vespucci
Andre Ampere
Captain Charles Boycott
Louis Braille
Anders Celsius
Nicolas Chauvin
Anders Dahl
Rudolf Diesel
Gabriel Fahrenheit
Guy Fawkes
Hercules
John McAdam
Jean Martinet
Samuel Maverick
Jean Nicot
Georg Simon Ohm
Louis Pasteur
Joel Poinsett
Don Quixote
Earl of Sandwich
saxophone
sideburns
silhouette
spoonerism
volt
watt
zeppelin
Antoine Sax
Ambrose Burnside
Etienne de Silhouette
Reverend William Spooner
Count Alessandro Volta
James Watt
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin
begonia Any of various tropical or subtropical plants of the genus Begonia, widely cultivated as
ornamentals for their usually asymmetrical, brightly colored leaves. After Michel Bgon (1638-1710), former
governor of the French colony of Haiti and patron of botany.
bloomers A costume formerly worn by women and girls that was composed of loose trousers gathered
about the ankles and worn under a short skirt. After Amelia Bloomer, a womens rights advocate who
popularized the style in the early 1850s.
bowdlerize To remove material that is considered offensive or objectionable from (a book, for example).
After Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825) who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare in 1818, leaving out
things like Ophelias suicide (it was an accidental drowning, of course), and sanitizing Lady Macbeths Out,
damned spot! into to Out, crimson spot!
boycott To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression
of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion. After Captain Charles Boycott, a former British soldier serving
as the estate agent for an absentee landlord, the Earl of Erne, in County Mayo, Ireland. During the Irish Land
War, when Boycott refused his tenants demands for a 25% reduction in rates and began evicting them,
politician Charles Parnell and the Irish Land League began to ostracize him and his family, depriving them of
service in stores, mail delivery, and other necessities.
cardigan A knitted garment, such as a sweater or jacket, that opens down the full length of the front. After
the Seventh Earl of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell (1797-1868), a British cavalry officer who led the
charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava during the Crimean War, supposedly while wearing his signature
knitted wool wasitcoat.
chauvinism 1. Militant devotion to and glorification of ones country; fanatical patriotism. 2. Prejudiced
belief in the superiority of ones own gender, group, or kind. After legendary French soldier Nicolas Chauvin,
who served in Napleons army and is credited with stupendously patriotic acts, including getting himself
wounded 17 times. Supposedly, Napoleon himself presented the soldier with a Sabre of Honor.
dahlia Any of several plants of the genus Dahlia native to the mountains of Mexico, Central America, and
Colombia, having tuberous roots and showy, rayed, variously colored flower heads. After Anders Dahl, an
obscure Swedish botanist, whose name was given to the flower after his death by Abbe Antonio Jose Cavanilles,
Director of the Royal Gardens of Madrid.
decibel A unit used to express relative difference in power or intensity, usually between two acoustic or
electric signals, equal to ten times the common logarithm of the ratio of the two levels. After Alexander
Graham Bell that is, a decibel is one tenth of a bel, the uncommonly-used unit of measurement named after
the inventor of the telephone.
fuschia A dark purplish-red color. After Leonhart Fuchs (1501-1566), the German scientist frequently cited
as one of the founding fathers of botany. No stories of German scientists wearing pink here it was the plant
that was named for him; the word wasnt used to describe color until 1892.
guppy A small, brightly colored live-bearing freshwater fish (Poecilia reticulata or Lebistes reticulatus),
native to northern South America and adjacent islands of the West Indies and popular in home aquariums. After
R.J. Lechmere Guppy (1836-1916), the Trinidadian clergyman who supplied the first specimens of the fish to
the British Museum.
The Marquise de Pompadour. Portrait by Franois Boucher
jackanapes A conceited or impudent person. After William de la Pole, Fourth Earl and First Duke of
Suffolk (1396-1450), whose nickname was Jacknapes, derived from Jack of Naples, a slang term for a
monkey. Yes, mocking the nouveau riche goes back to the 1300s.
leotard A snugly fitting, stretchable one-piece garment with or without sleeves that covers the torso, worn
especially by dancers, gymnasts, acrobats, and those engaging in exercise workouts. After Jules Lotard (18301870), the French aerialist who created the style.
masochism The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being
physically or emotionally abused. After Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), the Austrian author of
Venus in Furs, which has quite a bit of the stuff in there.
maverick 1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother,
traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it. 2. One that refuses to abide by the
dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter. After Samuel Augustus Maverick (18031870), a Texas
lawyer and cattleman famous for refusing to brand his cattle.
pompadour A womans hairstyle formed by sweeping the hair straight up from the forehead into a high,
turned-back roll. After Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, the Marquise de Pompadour, who was the official mistress
of King Louis XV from 1745 until her death, rocked this hairstyle, and was accused of causing the Seven Years
War.
saxophone A woodwind instrument with a single-reed mouthpiece and a usually curved conical metal tube,
including soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone sizes. After Belgian instrument designer and musician Adolphe
Sax, who invented the instrument in 1846.
sandwich Two or more slices of bread with a filling such as meat or cheese placed between them. After
John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich credited with inventing the popular lunch item. As the story goes, the
Earl was so busy at the card table that he didnt have time to eat, and would ask his servants to bring him his
meat and cheese stuck between two pieces of bread. When asked what they wanted, his friends would say, the
same as Sandwich! And thus the sandwich was named.
sideburns Growths of hair down the sides of a mans face in front of the ears, especially when worn with
the rest of the beard shaved off. After American Civil War general Ambrose Burnside, who had some super
gnarly facial hair. Burnside became sideburns somehow, and the rest is history.
silhouette A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a
solid color. After tienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), a French finance minister who imposed strict economic
restrictions on the rich during the Seven Years War. His name came to refer to anything done inexpensively, and
particularly to the black outline portraits, the very cheapest way to capture your likeness.
wellington boots Knee-length or calf-length rubber or rubberized boots, worn esp in wet conditions Often
shortened to wellies. After Arthur Wellesley the 1st Duke of Wellington, who invented the shoe when he
asked his shoemaker to whip him up a modification of the 18th-century Hessian boot, something able to
withstand battle as well as being comfortable to lounge about in in the evening.
casanova [ks-nv] This is one of those many euphemisms for a man who preys on
women. One definition is a man gallantly attentive to women. Others are promiscuous man,
or philanderer. From Giacomo Jacopo Girolamo Casanova de Seignalt (1725-98), an Italian
adventurer who wrote a memoir in which he bragged about his conquests.
Achilles, Greek mythological character Achilles' heel, Achilles tendon
Alice Liddell Alice in Wonderland, Alice in Wonderland syndrome
ANAGRAMS
Woman Hitler1
That queer shake
Bad credit2
Cash lost in 'em
The classroom
Twelve plus one3
Dirty room4
Nine Thumps5
A rope ends it6
Here come dots
Alas! No more Zs7
I'm a dot in place
Moon starer8
Conifers
They see9
Every cent paid me10
Voices rant on
Large picture halls, I bet
Lies let's recount11
Shall yet come12
These churn air13
ACRONYMS
Cultural predominance
Geography
Geography is one area prone to acronyms. Many times, when a group of places is formed, instead of coining a
descriptive term for the group, an acronym that stands for the individual places is created. An example outside
the Philippines is Benelux, which stands for the countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
A premiere example in the Philippines is Luzviminda. This is an acronym that stands for Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao, the three island groupings of the country. Luzviminda is actually used as a name for many Filipino
women. Another example in the Philippines is the region CALABARZON. This is a region consisting of the
provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.[2] CALABARZON was split off from the former
Southern Tagalog region in 2002. The region containing the remaining provinces in Southern Tagalog is also
named as an acronym, MIMAROPA, which stands for the provinces of Mindoro (Occidental and Oriental),
Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan.[2] A last example is CAMANAVA, which stands for Caloocan City,
Malabon City, Navotas, and Valenzuela Cityall of which are located in Metro Manila.
Entity uses
Politics
In political campaigns, many candidates names become acronyms stating their political platforms. A particularly
stilted political acronym used was the slogan used by the People Power Coalition (PPC) in the 2001 senatorial
elections: VOT FOR D CHAMPP. The slogan is an acronym that stands for the names of the 13 senator
candidates fielded by PPC. The 11 administration senators who voted YES to block the opening of the second
envelope during Estrada's impeachment trial were called "Jose's Cohort": Jaworski, Osmea, Santiago, Enrile,
Sotto, Coseteng, Oreta, Honasan, Ople, Revilla, Tatad.
Geography
BUDA - Bukidnon-Davao
CAMANAVA - Caloocan City, Malabon City, Navotas, Valenzuela City (northwestern Metro Manila)
EDSA - Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, major circumferential road (C-4) in Metro Manila
LP - Las Pias
MUNTIPARLAS - Muntinlupa City, Paraaque City, Las Pias City (southern Metro Manila)
SOCCSKSARGEN - Region; South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos
City
BI - Bureau of Immigration
Political parties
LAMMP - Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (Struggle of the Patriotic Filipino Masses)
Educational institutions
AU - Arellano University
Miscellaneous
HUKBALAHAP - Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (People's Army Against the Japanese)
RAS syndrome (short for "redundant acronym syndrome syndrome") refers to the use of one or more of the
words that make up an acronym or initialism in conjunction with the abbreviated form, thus in effect repeating
one or more words. A common example is "PIN number" (the "N" in PIN already stands for "number"). Other
names for the phenomenon include PNS syndrome ("PIN number syndrome syndrome", which expands to
"personal identification number number syndrome syndrome") or RAP phrases[1] ("redundant acronym phrase
phrases").
A person is humorously said to suffer from RAS syndrome when they redundantly use one or more of the
words that make up an acronym or initialism with the abbreviation itself. Usage commentators consider such
redundant acronyms poor style that is best avoided in writing, though they are common in speech.[2] The degree
to which there is a need to avoid pleonasms such as redundant acronyms depends on one's balance point of
prescriptivism (ideas about how language should be used) versus descriptivism (the realities of how natural
language is used).[3] For writing intended to persuade, impress, or avoid criticism, usage guides advise writers to
avoid pleonasm as much as possible, not because such usage is always "wrong", but rather because most of
one's audience may believe that it is always wrong.
The term RAS syndrome is intentionally redundant,[4][5] and thus an example of self-referential humor.
Origin
The term RAS syndrome was coined in 2001 by New Scientist.[5][6] The similar term PNS syndrome was first used
by Usenet users.[7][non-primary source needed]
Examples
Other nonce coinages continue to arise. Select examples of RAP phrases include:
Although there are many instances in editing in which removal of redundancy improves clarity,[12] the pure-logic
ideal of zero redundancy is seldom maintained in human languages. As Bill Bryson says,[12] "Not all repetition is
bad. It can be used for effect [...], or for clarity, or in deference to idiom. 'OPEC countries,' 'SALT talks' and
'HIV virus' are all technically redundant because the second word is already contained in the preceding
abbreviation, but only the ultra-finicky would deplore them. Similarly, in 'Wipe that smile off your face' the last
two words are tautologicalthere is no other place a smile could bebut the sentence would not stand without
them."[12]
A limited amount of redundancy can improve the effectiveness of communication, either for the whole
readership or at least to offer help to those readers who need it. A phonetic example of that principle is the need
for spelling alphabets in radiotelephony. Some instances of RAS syndrome can be viewed as syntactic examples
of the principle. The redundancy may help the listener by providing context and decreasing the "alphabet soup
quotient", the cryptic overabundance of abbreviations and acronyms, of the communication.
Acronyms and initialisms from foreign languages are often treated as unanalyzed morphemes when they are not
translated. For example, in French, "le protocole IP" (the Internet protocol protocol) is often used, and in
English "please RSVP" (roughly "please respond please") is very common.[2][13] This occurs for the same
linguistic reasons that cause many toponyms to be tautological. The tautology is not parsed by the mind in most
instances of real-world use (in many cases because the foreign word's meaning is not known anyway; in others
simply because the usage is idiomatic).
Non-examples
Sometimes the presence of repeated words does not create a redundant phrase. For example, a "redundant RAID
(redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks)" may in fact be a backup RAID in the system being
described; "laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) light" is light produced by a light
amplification process.
FAQ: ([fk] or ef-ay-cue) frequently asked question
A.M. (from Latin ante meridiem, "before noon") and P.M. (from Latin post meridiem, "after noon")
A.D. (from Latin Anno Domini, "in the year of our Lord"), whose complement in English, B.C. [Before
Christ], is English-sourced
KANGAROO WORDS
A kangaroo word is a word that contains letters of another word, in order, with the same meaning. For
example: the word masculine contains the word male, which is a synonym of the first word; similarly, the word
observe contains its synonym see.
Etymology
The etymology of the phrase kangaroo word is from the fact that kangaroos carry their young (known as joeys)
in a body pouch. Likewise, kangaroo words carry their joey words within themselves. Twin kangaroos are
kangaroo words containing two joey words (for example: container features both tin and can). In contrast, an
anti-kangaroo word is a word that contains its antonym; for example: covert carries overt, animosity carries
amity.
Some compilers require that the letters of the joey word not be consecutive within the kangaroo word,[1][2] or that
the kangaroo and joey words must be etymologically unrelated.[1]
Kangaroo words were originally popularized as a word game by Ben O'Dell in an article for the The American
Magazine, volume 151, during the 1950s. This was later reprinted in the Reader's Digest [3] [4]
9. Kangaroo words are letters taken from long words without changing the original meaning.
A playful term for a word that carries within it a synonym of itself--such as regulate (rule), indolent (idle), and
encourage (urge).
It's generally believed that the synonym (called a joey) should be the same part of speech as the kangaroo word
and its letters should appear in order.
Examples and Observations:
"Why do we call them kangaroo words? Not because they originated in Australia. Rather,
these are marsupial words that carry smaller versions of themselves within their spellings.
So 'respite' has 'rest,' 'splotch' has 'spot,' 'instructor' has 'tutor,' and 'curtail' has 'cut.'
Sometimes a kangaroo word has more than one joey. The word 'feasted' has a triplet, 'fed,'
'eat,' and 'ate.' Finally, two qualifications: the joey word has to have its letters in order
within the parent kangaroo word, but if all the letters are adjacent, for example, enjoy/joy,
it doesn't qualify."
(Anu Garg, Another Word a Day. Wiley, 2005)
destruction (ruin)
devilish (evil)
masculine (male)
observe (see)
plagiarist (liar)
rambunctious (raucous)
supervisor (superior)
"Among the kangaroo words that yield the most joviality and joy are those that conceal
multiple joeys. Let's now perambulate, ramble, and amble through an exhibit of this
species. Open up a container and you get a can and a tin. When you have feasted, you ate
and have fed. When you deteriorate, you rot and die. A routine is both rote and a rut.
Brooding inside loneliness are both loss and oneness.
"A chariot is a car and a cart. A charitable foundation is both a fund and a font. Within the
boundaries of a municipality reside city and unity, while a community includes county and
city."
(Richard Lederer, The Word Circus: A Letter-Perfect Book. Merriam-Webster, 1997)
Anti-Kangaroo Words
"ANTI-KANGAROO WORD: n. in recreational linguistics, a word that contains its antonym.
'The word covert is an anti-kangaroo word because it contains overt.'"
(Rod L. Evans, Thingamajigs and Whatchamacallits: Unfamiliar Terms for Familiar Things.
Perigee, 2011)
6. Apocopated words are shortenings without end punctuation.They are also called special
abbreviations, journalistic words, colloquialism, and clipped words.
Apocopated words - to cut the word/shorten the word
examples: Gym (for Gymnnasuim)
Mic (for Microphone)
hat is clipping?
Clipping refers to the reduction of a polysyllabic word by dropping a syllable or more from it.Clipping is also
called truncation or shortening.
Examples:
spec = speculation
vet = veteran
Types of clipping
ad = advertisement
cable = cablegram
doc = doctor
exam = examination
fax = facsimile
gas = gasoline
memo = memorandum
Fore-clipping
chute = parachute
coon = raccoon
gator = alligator
phone = telephone
Middle clipping
flu = influenza
fridge = refrigerator
Complex clipping
Clipping may also occur in compounds. In complex clipping, one part of the original compound most often
remains intact. But sometimes both halves of a compound are clipped:
Examples:
When both halves are clipped, as in navicert, it becomes confusing whether to consider the resultant formation
as clipping or as blending.
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Compounding
Compounding is the word formation process in which two or more lexemes combine into a single new word. Compound words may be
written as one word or as two words joined with a hyphen. For example:
Compounds may be compositional, meaning that the meaning of the new word is determined by combining the meanings of the parts,
or noncompositional, meaning that the meaning of the new word cannot be determined by combining the meanings of the parts. For
example, a blueberry is a berry that is blue. However, a breakup is not a relationship that was severed into pieces in an upward
direction.
Compound nouns should not be confused with nouns modified by adjectives, verbs, and other nouns. For example, the adjective black
of the noun phrase black bird is different from the adjective black of the compound noun blackbird in that black of black bird functions as
a noun phrase modifier while the black of blackbird is an inseparable part of the noun: a black bird also refers to any bird that is black in
color while a blackbird is a specific type of bird.
Clipping
Clipping is the word formation process in which a word is reduced or shortened without changing the meaning of the word. Clipping
differs from back-formation in that the new word retains the meaning of the original word. For example:
advertisement ad
alligator gator
examination exam
gasoline gas
gymnasium gym
influenza flu
laboratory lab
mathematics math
memorandum memo
photograph photo
public house pub
raccoon coon
reputation rep
situation comedy sitcom
telephone phone
The four types of clipping are back clipping, fore-clipping, middle clipping, and complex clipping. Back clipping is removing the end of a
word as in gas from gasoline. Fore-clipping is removing the beginning of a word as in gator from alligator. Middle clipping is retaining
only the middle of a word as in flu from influenza. Complex clipping is removing multiple parts from multiple words as in sitcom from
situation comedy.
Blending
Blending is the word formation process in which parts of two or more words combine to create a new word whose meaning is often a
combination of the original words. For example:
Clipping (morphology)
In linguistics, clipping is the word formation process which consists in the reduction of a word to one of its
parts (Marchand: 1969). Clipping is also known as "truncation" or "shortening."[1]
According to Marchand (1969),[2] clippings are not coined as words belonging to the standard vocabulary of a
language. They originate as terms of a special group like schools, army, police, the medical profession, etc., in
the intimacy of a milieu where a hint is sufficient to indicate the whole. For example, exam(ination),
math(ematics), and lab(oratory) originated in school slang; spec(ulation) and tick(et = credit) in stock-exchange
slang; and vet(eran) and cap(tain) in army slang. While clipping terms of some influential groups can pass into
common usage, becoming part of Standard English, clippings of a socially unimportant class or group will
remain group slang.
Clipping is different from back-formation back-formation may change the part of speech or the word's
meaning, whereas clipping creates shortened words from longer words, but does not change the part of speech
or the meaning of the word.
Clipping mainly consists of the following types:
1. Back clipping
2. Fore-clipping
3. Middle clipping
4. Complex clipping
Back clipping
Back clipping is the most common type, in which the beginning is retained. The unclipped original may be
either a simple or a composite. Examples are: ad (advertisement), cable (cablegram), doc (doctor), exam
(examination), fax (facsimile), gas (gasoline), gym (gymnastics, gymnasium), memo (memorandum), mutt
(muttonhead), pub (public house), pop (popular music).
Fore-clipping
Fore-clipping retains the final part. Examples: bot (robot), chute (parachute), roach (cockroach), coon
(raccoon), gator (alligator), phone (telephone), pike (turnpike), varsity (university), net (Internet).
Middle clipping
In middle clipping, the middle of the word is retained. Examples are: flu (influenza), fridge (refrigerator), jams
or jammies (pajamas/pyjamas), polly (apollinaris), shrink (head-shrinker), tec (detective).
Complex clipping
Main article: clipped compound
Clipped forms are also used in compounds. One part of the original compound most often remains intact.
Examples are: cablegram (cable telegram), op art (optical art), org-man (organization man), linocut (linoleum
cut). Sometimes both halves of a compound are clipped as in navicert (navigation certificate). In these cases it
is difficult to know whether the resultant formation should be treated as a clipping or as a blend, for the border
between the two types is not always clear. According to Bauer (1983),[3] the easiest way to draw the distinction
is to say that those forms which retain compound stress are clipped compounds, whereas those that take simple
word stress are not. By this criterion bodbiz, Chicom, Comsymp, Intelsat, midcult, pro-am, photo op, sci-fi, and
sitcom are all compounds made of clippings.
Examples and Observations OF BLENDING
compounding
In linguistics, the process of combining two words (free morphemes) to create a new word (commonly a noun,
verb, or adjective).
Compounds are written sometimes as one word (sunglasses), sometimes as two hyphenated words (lifethreatening), and sometimes as two separate words (football stadium).