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Glite Dictionary
meronymy

meronymy

9.9
A relationship where something is part of something else, like a wheel and a car
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛrəˈnɪmi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : meronimia
  • "Wheel" and "car" illustrate meronymy, since a wheel is part of a car.

Examples

  • In semantics, meronymy is contrasted with hyponymy, which relates to class membership.

  • Linguists study meronymy to understand how words relate as parts and wholes.

  • The concept of meronymy is essential in linguistics.

  • In the phrase 'the wheel of a car', 'wheel' represents a meronymy relationship.

  • "Wheel" and "car" illustrate meronymy, since a wheel is a part of a car.

  • The term meronymy is used to describe the relationship between a part and the whole in linguistics.

  • When explaining the word meronymy, one might say that a hand is a meronym of the body.

Synonyms

part to whole relation
vsmeronymy
  • Specialized
7.0

A relation where a smaller part belongs to a larger whole, like a wheel and a car

has identical meaning but is the established technical term

Surface Forms

meronymy singular
meronymies plural

Morphology

meronymy = meronym (semi-transparent) = mero + onym + y

A regular nominalization from the noun 'meronym' using '-y', so the relation name is directly derived from the base term.

Etymology

Meronymy comes from the Greek meros 'part' and the ending -onym 'name', like in synonym. So, meronymy is the naming relation between a part and the whole, for example 'wheel' and 'car'.