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holonym

/ˈhɑlənɪm/
IPA guide

Other forms: holonyms

A holonym is a word that describes a whole thing which also has smaller parts with different names. "Dog" is a holonym of "fur" and "wagging tail."

Holonym derives from the Greek holos, "whole," and onymos, "name." Linguists and other language experts use this term to talk about words that encapsulate an entire thing, with meronym meaning "constituent part." So if you think of the words "feather" and "beak," you know their holonym is "bird." And "house" is a holonym for "roof," "front door," and "windows."

Definitions of holonym
  1. noun
    a word that names the whole of which a given word is a part
    “`hat' is a holonym for `brim' and `crown'”
    synonyms: whole name
    see moresee less
    type of:
    word
    a unit of language that native speakers can identify
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