5 ‘NYM’ WORDS for Education and Entertainment
There’s something about ‘nym’ words that fascinates me. Maybe it’s partly because they can be educational, informational, and fun too. Somehow, I believe they help to organize my often disorganized thinking. (ie.. synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and acronyms) They are the ones in the nym family that most of us remember learning in school. All these interesting categories of words which end in nym or onym can be too distracting for me. But if I focus on my favorite types then I can sharpen my skills and gain more knowledge. In this post I’d like to share with you some of my preferred nyms. Maybe you’ll discover one or two that resonate with you.
Let’s begin with contranyms..I mean contronyms...no I meant antagonyms. Or is it Janus words? No it’s autoantonyms..isn’t it? Well anyway, they are words that are their own opposites. You see, they are a confusing sort of nyms for sure. Nobody seems to know exactly what to name them either. Lol. A number of contronyms-as we’ll call them- which have a specific meaning, have changed into general meaning as speakers became more lax with language. Before people realize it, words may morph into opposite definitions as generations and time goes by. Example ‘antagonyms’ are bound, buckle, cleave, and overlook. Each word can be used in a contrary way or as an opposite definition.
Moreover, there’s an interesting Amelia Bedelia book that highlights the word ‘dust’ as another sneaky contronym, bringing a little humor along with the confusion.
An easier nym family member to understand is the aptronym, which is sometimes spelled as aptonym. An aptronym means a name that fits the owner in an apt way. God changed Abram’s name(exalted father) to Abraham when he promised him he would become a ‘father of many nations’. The personality, appearance, or profession of the person may suit their name. One example I personally know is a dermatologist-Dr. Rash. Can you imagine the jokes he’s endured? Another to put on the list is the well know poet named William Wordsworth. In the book by John Bunyan- Pilgrim’s Progress- the writer has two characters with aptronym style names-Mr. Talkative and Mr. Worldly Wiseman.
There’s an opposite nym fittingly named inaptronym. A fun example of it would be a skinny dog called Fatcat. I actually had a puppy, when I was much younger, who I named that very appropriate inaptronym. That dog ended up living on a farm, sharing his dog house with a cat. True story.
Next on the list is the Retronym- a word or phrase newly created or adopted to distinguish between an older and newer version of something. Think landline phone versus cell phone. Plus, there’s snail mail vs. email. Whole milk is one too. Back in the day there wasn’t skim, low-fat, or 2 % milk. And there’s vinyl disks which used to be called records. Imagine that Gen Z. Manual versus electric typewriter is another addition to the list. Still, I’m not sure if the term word processor fits into the category? In 2000, the American Heritage became the first major dictionary to include the word ‘retronym’. It’s relatively just twenty-four years old. Crazy notion, but will a retronym ever become ‘retro’? I suppose when it gets old enough it will.
Last but not least is the backronym. It’s an acronym formed from a word by expanding the letters into the words of a phrase. Technically they are a form of acronyms, but different. Often they are called reverse acronyms. Backronyms are basicly, after the fact, an existing word for which someone creates an acronym. Here’s one for a CAT-Cunning avid traveler. These nyms are described as a phrase created to fit an existing word, often to make it more memorable or meaningful. Amber (Alert) and Apgar Score were created for memory aids or mnemonics. The USA Patriot Act-which is nefarious- is a governmental example of one.
Here are a few Christian based examples: FEAR-false evidence appearing real; BIBLE-Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth; And my favorite one: FAITH-Forsaking All I Trust Him. Now to swiftly sedgeway into learning the most important words ever written-within the Holy Bible. No other words or knowledge will compare to knowing God through studying His Word. We learn about His character, love and truth which can be our guide throughout our lives.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23,24
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