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Glite Dictionary
meronym

meronym

9.6
A word that names a part of something, for example leaf for a tree
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛrəˌnɪm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : merónimo
  • 'Wheel' is a meronym of 'car' because a wheel is a part of a car.

Examples

  • A meronym refers to a part of a whole.

  • In linguistics, a meronym can be a finger of a hand.

  • 'Leaf' functions as a meronym of 'tree' in the sentence.

  • Linguists often discuss how meronym relations help organize vocabulary.

  • 'Leaf' serves as a meronym for 'tree' since a leaf is a part of a tree.

  • 'Wheel' is a meronym of 'bicycle' because a wheel is one of its essential parts.

  • In grammar, a meronym represents a part, like 'petal' in relation to 'flower'.

Synonyms

part name
vsmeronym
4.0

A name for a part of something larger

is the specific linguistic term for such part-denoting words

Surface Forms

meronym singular
meronyms plural

Morphology

meronym = mero + onym

The term is built from Greek combining forms ('mero-' + '-onym') that are not recognizable as standalone English words to an average learner, making the meaning (a technical linguistic relation) non-derivable from familiar English morphemes.

Etymology

Meronym comes from the Greek meros meaning 'part' and the ending -onym meaning 'name', the same -onym you see in synonym and antonym. So a meronym is a 'name' for a 'part' of something, which is why 'leaf' is a meronym of 'tree' and 'wheel' is a meronym of 'car'.