-onym Also -onymy, -onymic, and -onymous.
A name.
[Greek onuma, name.]
The ending principally appears in words that describe kinds of words. See the table below for some examples. Abstract nouns for the state or concept are formed in -onymy: homonymy, metonymy, toponymy. Adjectives are formed in -onymic or -onymous, sometimes both, though the former is rather more common (eponymous, metonymic, synonymous, toponymic).
Examples of words in -onym
All word origins are from Greek.
| acronym | a word formed from the initial letters of other words | akron, end, tip |
| anonym | an anonymous person or publication, or a pseudonym | an-, without |
| antonym | a word opposite in meaning to another | anti-, against |
| cryptonym | a code name | kruptos, hidden |
| eponym | a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, or the like is named or thought to be named | epi, upon |
| heteronym | each of two or more words which are spelled identically but have different sounds and meanings | heteros, other |
| homonym | each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins | homos, same |
| hyponym | a word of more specific meaning, a subcategory of a more general class | hupo, under |
| metonym | a word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated | metōnumia, change of name |
| pseudonym | a fictitious name, especially one used by an author | pseudēs, false |
| synonym | a word or phrase that means the same as another word or phrase in the same language | sun-, with |
| toponym | a place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature | topos, place |
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