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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Jell-o, Kleenex, and others #801 03/21/2000 12:59 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 4 Philadelphia, PA, USA jbutler003 stranger jbutler003 stranger Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 4 Philadelphia, PA, USA Years ago, I came across a word that referred to the process of using a formal name (like a brand name) in place of or interchangeably with the actual term. For example, Jell-o instead of gelatin or Kleenex instead of tissue. Having worked for Scott Paper company, we were especially sensitive to the latter. --Jay Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Jell-o, Kleenex, and others #802 03/21/2000 8:47 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 23 Ohio USA cadaver stranger cadaver stranger Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 23 Ohio USA On Branding Q: Is there a term describing words such as cellophane and thermos that were formerly trademarks but now have a generic meaning? A: The process of a word going from brand to generic is called generification; and the legal term for this process is genericide. It is an apt term because despite the sentiment that 'imitation is the highest form of compliment,' if a trademark becomes generic, a company's branding power is lost — which is the reason that Xerox, Kleenex, Dixie cup are not generics; their parent companies fight this trend fiercely. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Jell-o, Kleenex, and others #803 03/22/2000 6:17 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 4 Philadelphia, PA, USA jbutler003 stranger jbutler003 stranger Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 4 Philadelphia, PA, USA I think that is the word I was looking for. Thanks, Jay Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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