whole name

9.0

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

noun

Specialized

: nombre completo

In the relationship between 'branch' and 'tree', 'tree' is the whole name.

Examples

When discussing anatomy, 'hand' serves as the whole name for 'fingers' and 'palm'.
'Car' is the whole name for parts like 'wheel' and 'engine'.
The whole name of the organization is the International Red Cross.
Can you tell me the whole name of that plant?
'Car' is the whole name for parts like 'wheel' and 'engine'.
In the relationship between 'branch' and 'tree', 'tree' is the whole name.
When discussing anatomy, 'hand' serves as the whole name for 'fingers' and 'palm'.

Synonyms

holonym

vswhole name

Specialized

9.9

A word for a whole thing that has parts, for example car for wheel

is a descriptive phrase for the same concept rather than a single technical term

Surface Forms

whole name singular

whole names plural

Morphology

whole + name

The meaning 'the name of the whole' is directly and compositionally derived from 'whole' (the entire thing) + 'name' (identifier), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the name of the whole entity. Although the usage may be slightly technical (holonym), the compositional logic is straightforward and follows common cross-linguistic patterns.

Etymology

Whole name comes from the simple idea of using a name for the entire whole thing instead of for its parts. For example, you point at a car and say 'car' while its parts are 'wheel' and 'engine', so 'car' is the 'whole name' for those parts.