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Glite Dictionary
holonym

holonym

9.9
A word for a whole thing that has parts, for example car for wheel
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊləˌnɪm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : holónimo
  • In linguistics, the word holonym describes the whole that contains particular parts.

Examples

  • The teacher explained that 'tree' is a holonym for 'branch' and 'leaf'.

  • 'Car' is the holonym for 'wheel', 'engine', and 'door'.

  • Is a car a holonym for its parts like the engine and wheels?

  • The holonyms of 'wheel' include 'car' and 'bicycle.'

  • 'Car' is the holonym for 'wheel', 'engine', and 'door'.

  • The teacher explained that 'tree' is a holonym for 'branch' and 'leaf'.

  • In linguistics, the word holonym describes the whole that contains particular parts.

Synonyms

whole name
vsholonym
  • Specialized
9.0

The name of the whole thing that parts belong to, like 'tree' for branches

is the standard technical term for that same relation

Surface Forms

holonym singular
holonyms plural

Morphology

holonym = name (semi-transparent) = holo + nym

The meaning corresponds to 'whole' + 'name' so the concept is analyzable, but 'holo-' and '-nym' are Greek combining forms rather than standalone English morphemes, making the form somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Holonym comes from the Greek parts holos 'whole' and -onym 'name', like in synonym. So a holonym is the 'name' for the whole that contains smaller parts, which is why 'car' is a holonym for 'wheel' and 'door'.