Terminology is a system of terms belonging or peculiar to a science, art, or specialized subject, nomenclature.
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What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?
What is the difference between a phrase and a clause? I tried looking this in dictionary but can not identify the difference. It would be great if I could get an example and formula of what makes a ...
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2answers
284 views
Is there a term that means “oft-used misquotation”?
There are some quotations that people always seem to get wrong:
Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well. [Real quote from Hamlet: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio."]
I have nothing to offer ...
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Is there a term for the period between midnight and sunrise?
The period between sunset and noon is called "morning", between noon and sunset is "afternoon". Is there a term for the period between midnight and sunrise?
Edit/Clarification:
Wikipedia defines ...
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How does one pronounce the '@' symbol?
How can I pronounce @ symbol: At / At the rate?
Can I use it in a sentence? Please explain with an example.
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What are the components of a word called?
The etymology of the word parasol states that it arises "from para- (“to shield”) + sole (“sun”)". I would like to know what the two components, para and sole, are called in this example. ...
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881 views
Is it acceptable to call a hot dog a sausage?
This sounds like a silly question, but I've heard some very strong opinions about this, so I find this intriguing.
A hot dog is a type of sausage (at least according to Merriam-Webster, Wikipedia, ...
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What's the literary term for an instruction to the reader at the beginning or end of a book?
Books and other texts can have a motto at the beginning (or at the end), or a dedication. But they sometimes include a command, directive or instruction to the reader as prologue or epilogue. It could ...
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344 views
Word for “the question this one was closed as a dupe of”
Is there a simple term for the question this one was closed as a dupe of other than "the question this one was closed as a dupe of", because "the question this one was closed as a dupe of" is pretty ...
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992 views
What is the best term to describe a “native English speaker who is an American”?
When applying for English teaching jobs, I want to describe myself as a "native speaker of English who has an American accent" since most companies in Europe want native speakers to teach English ...
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277 views
What is a term for words that are both homophones and homographs?
While there are homophones like bear and bare, and homographs like sow, the pig, and to sow a seed, is there a term for words that cover both categories? The example that comes to mind for me is to ...
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What would be a a linguistic term for those nouns ending with -ing?
What would be a a linguistic term for those nouns ending with -ing?
Examples: building, scaffolding, ending.
What are some other examples, and what do they all share in common semantically?
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What is this ‘-ing’ structure?
Consider the following sentence:
The Bactrian camel is well adapted to the extreme climate of its
native Mongolia, having thick fur and underwool that keep it warm in
winter and also insulate ...
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When did British and American crochet terms diverge?
In crochet basic stitches are called different things. For example a single crochet in America is called a double crochet in the UK, a double crochet in America is called a treble crochet in the UK, ...
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What is a word/phrase for using a term for a popular special case instead of a generic term?
Some people use a term for a popular special case in place of a generic term. (Often this popular special case is a particular product in that category.) I think that this is a common phenomenon. ...
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7answers
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What does “akin to” mean in etymologies in dictionary entries?
Many etymologies in dictionaries say that some word is “akin to” a word in some other language. For example, here is part of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary entry for salt:
Main Entry: 1salt ...
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Bringing word into existence just by calling and using it
Sometimes, when I read essays, I see that writers make up words and by using them, they bring those words into existence.
For example:
In her article "Juban America", Ruth Behar uses the term ...
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Is there a single word that expresses “music end-users / enthusiasts”?
To help a soon-to-be sister site out here, I was thinking English.SE perhaps could lend a helping hand as this is the best place for "word choice and usage".
I'm not looking for "naming", but rather ...
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What does “I know, right?” mean?
Not only is my seventh grader using this phrase, but her teachers are as well.
I suppose it means I totally agree with you and you totally agree with me but it sounds like there is a subtle Is that ...
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Is “pregnant couple” proper terminology?
According to Collins English Dictionary, and of course as everyone knows, a doula is
a woman who is trained to provide support to women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the ...
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What is a “magnetic shaped charge”
Just reading this article and in one of the first sentences it says:
A few days ago, 32-year-old Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan died in his car,
after two motorcyclists attached a magnetic shaped charge ...
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2answers
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Is there a word for the definition of an acronym?
I can describe "IMHO" as an acronym for "in my humble opinion." How can I describe the reverse processes of translating the acronym into the actual phrase? That is to say, if "IMHO" is the acronym, ...
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What do you call the word used in prose to describe the surroundings to make prose richer?
There is a word in English which is used to describe the technique used by authors where they describe the surroundings (like sight, sounds, smells, etc.) to make the scene more rich.
Like "there was ...
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What is the word to describe a single object to represent the many?
If I am writing a poem, I might use the word peaches to symbolize all fruit. Is there a specific word for this type of symbolism?
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Term for a person who can read but cannot write
I'm looking for a term to accurately describe a person who can only read but cannot write. While I'm primarily concerned with people who have never learned to write, I would also be interested in any ...
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4answers
202 views
Is there a specific word for “jolted from naïveté”?
In the example quoted below, I used surprised with intended meaning "jolted from naïveté", but wasn't satisfied with it. Also, I wanted to avoid implying that discovering the mentioned fact made me ...
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What are the proper terms for these star shapes?
Both figures are star pentagrams. But as you can see, the shapes are different due to the degree in the angles. Are there proper terms for these two shapes? I find myself having a hard time ...
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Rhyming conventions of Early Modern English
I was reading the poem "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell when something struck me as odd. Let me quote two passages:
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find: I by the tide
...
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What do you call the phenomenon where a rectangle Ϳ is shown because a font lacks a glyph?
Is there a name to describe the situation where a particular character is shown on a computer screen in a particular font, but this font does not have a glyph for this particular character?
Usually, ...
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Why is the current unrest in the Arab world called the “Arab Spring”?
Does spring in "Arab Spring" refer to the season - or something else?
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Term for things like “naughty step” where the step is not what is naughty
Can anyone remind me of the grammatical term for the apparent misapplication of an attributive adjective, as in the phrase "the naughty step" (where it is not the step itself that is naughty but the ...
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1answer
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Origin of word “pad” in the mixing/recording industry
I ask this assuming there are enough people with experience with electric instruments, mixers, and other recording equipment to make this relevant.
On any mixer, one of the first buttons that can be ...
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Why does “air conditioning” always mean “cooling” and never “heating”?
For that matter, air conditioning could include humidifying or dehumidifying, but it doesn't: only cooling. Why weren't air conditioners called air coolers?
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Is there a word or phrase for language and culture combined?
Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching language and culture.
Is there a term that embodies both language and culture? I want something concise, as I need to state it multiple times.
I ...
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2answers
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Term for an event being referred to by its location or date
Is there a term for referring to an organization by its city rather than by its name? mentions synecdoche and metonym as terms used when an organization is referred to by its location.
Do these terms ...
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What is the difference between a “stanza” and a “verse”, as applied to English literature?
What is the difference between 'stanza' and 'verse' in English Literature (Poetry)? I've read one of my classmate's essays and the word 'verse' cropped up - I thought that the word 'verse' was usually ...
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Term for easing up sails in a heavy storm
What is the correct verb (or phrase) to describe the action of reducing a boat's sail power in a heavy storm? So far, I've only come up with reefing the sails, but that refers to the furling of the ...
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How can I properly indicate a “day off” in a tournament using “sports terms”?
When showing a tournament calendar with an odd number of teams, how can I say (in sport terms) to indicate the team that is not playing on a given match day?
For example a tournament with five teams ...
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Cell phone? Cell? Mobile phone? What's the “correct” term?
What's that type of phone called that you don't need a cable for and you can use everywhere in the world (provided there's coverage ;-))?
And what differences are there between the regions? ...
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What are: province, territory, protectorate, state…?
Often a country will have regions called "provinces" or "states". Other times they are called "territories" and "protectorates".
Is there a generic term for these words?
Is there a full list of ...
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Term for a word that is unintentionally made up of two or more other words?
For example, therapist may be split into the + rapist, neither of which (arguably) has anything to do with the original words.
Another example would be conflagration: con + flag + ration. Or ...
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Antonym of “phobia”
If a phobia is to have an irrational fear of something, what is the word for having an irrational affinity for something?
For example a numerologist may fear the number 13, but be attracted to (or ...
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Longer than a word — smaller than a sentence
What would you call a linguistic construct that is just big enough to convey a meaning within a context, longer than a word but not having the length and proper form of a complete sentence? Like, for ...
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cocktail knowledge
Some years ago in a computer science department I heard the term “cocktail knowledge” to refer to the knowledge that someone has on a subject when they can name techniques, results, and people but ...
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Term for minimum or maximum
I need to ask a user to request either a minimum or maximum value.
What would be the appropriate label for this?
I have considered extremum but I am not sure if this is commonly understood or ...
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3answers
418 views
-ship vs. -hood
What is the difference between nouns naming states of being or positions ending in -hood and those ending in -ship?
In practice, if one were neologizing such a word how would one decide which suffix ...
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What do you call Xo-Y words? (ex: Judeo-Christian)
Is there a special name to call words like Judeo-Christian, following the construction Xo-Y?
(Same question for French)
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Proper term for people from eastern Asia
I once posted an article on the web in which I referred collectively to people from China, Japan, and the Koreas as "Oriental". I got an email from someone who informed me that this is an offensive ...
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What's the difference between orthography and spelling?
The terms "spelling" and "orthography" seem to be largely synonymous. What is the difference really? Is it that "orthography" is a more formal or technical term and hence more well-defined? Or is it ...
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Different types of whistling
Are there terms or succinct phrases that describe the different ways of whistling listed below?
The standard put-your-lips-together-and-blow
Tongue against bottom teeth
Sticking two fingers (thumb ...
