retronym means A new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name has become used for something else or is no longer unique, or which did not originally have a specific name. It carries an Arena rating of 1528, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, retronym ranks #772 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #3,095 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,073 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #4,682 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
retronym is pronounced /ɹəˈtɹəʊ.nɪm/.
Why “retronym” is a great word
A new word or phrase created to specify an original form of something after a newer version renders the original term ambiguous. From retro- (Latin, "backward") and -onym (Greek onoma, "name"); coined by Frank Mankiewicz and popularized by William Safire in 1980. Unlike a neologism, which is any freshly minted word, or an archaism, which preserves an obsolete term, a retronym is a deliberate clarification born of technological or cultural shift. It is the "acoustic guitar" after the electric one is invented, the "landline" phone in an age of mobiles, or "snail mail" that must defend against its electronic rival—a linguistic correction marking the quiet obsolescence of the once-sufficient name, forcing us to name what we never thought needed naming.
Etymology
From retro- + -onym; coined by Frank Mankiewicz and popularized by William Safire.
noun
- A new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name has become used for something else or is no longer unique, or which did not originally have a specific name.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.