autohyponymy
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English
Etymology
By surface analysis, auto- + hyponymy, or, by surface analysis, autohyponym + -y.
Noun
autohyponymy (uncountable)
- (semantics, linguistics) The quality or state of being an autohyponym; the semantic relation between senses of a word such that one sense is hyponymous to another.
- Hypernyms: polysemy, < colexification
- Coordinate term: autohypernymy
- 2013, Aleš Klégr, “The limits of polysemy: enantiosemy”, in Linguistica Pragensia, volume 23, number 2, Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, pages 9–10:
- First of all he speaks of linear polysemy, i.e. relations of specialization (or generalization) between polysemic senses which include autohyponymy (dog: animal species, male of this species) and autosuperordination (i.e. autohyperonymy; man: human male, human race) […]
Usage notes
Autohyponymy and autohypernymy are counterparts, two sides of the same coin. The reason linguistics can make a distinction whereby any given instance is said to instantiate one and not the other is that the terms are defined such that whichever sense of the given word can be judged to be the primary sense governs the direction toward the other. For example, if the all-sexes sense of the word dog is judged to be the primary sense, then the male-specific sense (cohyponymous with bitch) is said to exhibit autohyponymy. The analogous relationship for automeronymy and autoholonymy is also true.