proper name
4
4.9
- noun
- /ˈprɑːpər neɪm/
- Specialized
:
nombre propio
- In another case, the proper name "Bell" has replaced the once ubiquitous "Bell Telephone Co." signs.
- referent of a proper name
- proper name, definite
- given a proper name
Calling something by its proper name means that we know how to interact with it.
- Calling something by its proper name means that we know how to interact with it.
Examples
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Grimaud describes onomastics as "the study of proper names" and discusses its implications and applications in the study of literature.
Academic text (1993) -
A proper name is neurologically processed differently than a common noun.
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As with every other science, the first thing you must learn... is to call everything by its proper name.
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I was tired of seeing so many men treated as boys and not called by their proper names or titles.
Academic text (2004) -
Calling something by its proper name means that we know how to interact with it.
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The debate about the proper name for the discipline has been escalating during the last few years.
Academic text (1991) -
With the exception of recognizable public figures and institutions, all proper names referred to in this article are pseudonyms.
Academic text (2004) -
You need to come up with a proper name for this place.
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His proper name is Mr. Farquharson.
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A proper name is neurologically processed differently than a common noun.
Synonyms
1
2.1
A name for a specific person, place, or organization
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'proper' (suitable/correct) + 'name' (word that identifies) give a clear compositional signal that this is a particular kind of name, but the specialized meaning 'a name that designates a specific individual and is capitalized' is not strictly derivable from 'proper' and may be interpreted as simply a 'correct' or 'appropriate' name. Because the sense is partly predictable yet requires some lexical/grammatical knowledge (and is a conventional linguistic term present in many languages), it is best judged as only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Proper name may come from the old idea that proper meant 'own' or 'special' and name meant the word that belongs to something. So a proper name is like the 'own name' of a person or place, and that is why it names a specific person, place, or thing and is written with a capital letter.