poecilonym

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English

Etymology

From poecilo- +‎ -onym.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpiːsɪlənɪm/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

poecilonym (plural poecilonyms)

  1. Any of several names for a thing; an alternative name.
    Synonyms: alias, synonym
    • 1999 July 27, Ucalegon, “Missing aircraft”, in alt.anagrams (Usenet):
      >> Is there another word for synonym?
      >Actually, there is: poecilonym
      Take care, though; ‘poecilonym’ can only be used for the taxonomic meaning of ‘synonym’--an incorrect or obsolete systematic name for a genus or species.
    • 2006, Nero Blanc, Death on the Diagonal, page 147:
      It's high time I looked for another job and got as far away from homonyms, synonyms, antonyms — to say nothing of caconyms, eponyms, and poecilonyms!
    • 1997, David Grambs, The Endangered English Dictionary: Bodacious Words, page xi:
      Maybe we could all use a few spanking old poecilonyms. Poecilonym? It's an old synonym for synonym that you'll find in these pages. But many words in this dictionary have no real counterparts in today's English.
  2. Synonym of hybridism
    • 1977, Robert H. Stacy, Defamiliarization in Language and Literature, Syracuse University Press, →ISBN, page 52:
      This is also a type of poecilonym or hybrid word; cf. such a word as “aeneolithic” (=chalcolithic) in English.

References