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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

retronym

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster

Arts, Literature, Language Courses, Education

4.31.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2024

⏱️ 2 minutes

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Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7, 2024 is:

retronym • \RET-roh-nim\  • noun

Retronym refers to a term (such as analog watch, film camera, or acoustic guitar) that is created and adopted to distinguish the original or older version, form, or example of something from others that are more recent.

// While ordering a regular coffee Sam started to tell the barista about how “regular coffee” is a retronym until the next person in line sighed with impatience.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Framework has also formally renamed its first laptop design; the 13-inch model picks up the ‘Framework Laptop 13’ retronym to distinguish it from the new Framework 16 gaming laptop.” — Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Mar. 2023

Did you know?

Remember way back when cameras used film? Back then, such devices were simply called cameras; they weren't specifically called film cameras until they needed to be distinguished from the digital cameras that came later. Similarly, the term desktop computer wasn't often used until laptops became prevalent. A lot of our common retronyms have come about due to technological advances: acoustic guitar emerged to contrast with electric guitar, and brick-and-mortar store came into use to distinguish traditional stores from online retailers. Retronym was coined by Frank Mankiewicz, an American journalist and former president of National Public Radio, and was first seen in print in 1980. Retronyms themselves are of course much older; British English, for example, is a retronym called into service when American English developed.



Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7th.

0:11.3

Today's word is retronym, spelled R-E-T-I-N-G-E-T-I-N-G-T T R-O-N-Y-M. Retron-M is a noun. It refers to a term such as

0:20.9

analog watch, film, camera, or acoustic guitar that is created and adopted

0:26.6

to distinguish the original or older version form or example of something from others that are

0:32.2

more recent.

0:33.0

Here's the word used in a sentence from Arse Technica by Andrew Cunningham.

0:38.0

Framework has also formally renamed its first laptop design.

0:44.4

The 13-inch model picks up the framework laptop 13-inch

0:48.3

retronym to distinguish it from the new framework 16

0:52.4

gaming laptop. Remember way back when cameras used

0:57.2

film? Back then such devices were simply called cameras. They weren't specifically called film cameras

1:05.0

until they needed to be distinguished from the digital cameras that came

1:08.4

later. Similarly, the term desktop computer wasn't often used until laptops became prevalent.

1:15.0

A lot of our common retonyms have come about due to technological advances.

1:20.0

Acoustic guitar emerged to contrast with electric guitar and brick and mortar store

1:26.5

came into use to distinguish traditional stores from online retailers.

1:31.3

The word retro-nim was coined by Frank Mankowitz, an American journalist

1:37.0

and former president of National Public Radio, and was first seen in print in 1980.

1:43.0

Retronymms themselves are of course much older.

1:46.2

British English, for example, is a retronym

1:48.7

called into service when American English developed.

1:52.0

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

...

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