|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
Let me see if this is another example:
A piece of a saint's (?Francis?) cloak was kept in a small room off the main sanctuary of the church. The room took on the name capella from the Latin for cloak and was Anglicized to chapel. Now a is a small space for worship is often called a chapel. The word is not an eponym because it is not named after a person but a piece of clothing - a thing.
I am not sure there is a term for such words.
St. Martin, that's the owner of the cloak. Well, was the owner.
Last edited by Zed; 06/08/11 04:37 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10
stranger
|
|
OP
stranger
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10 |
Sigh. Amazing how difficult something simple can be! I thank all for guesses, but this really is an 'on the bus, off the bus' question.
Thanks for Trojan Asteroids, but no: I KNOW a Centaur is the term for an asteroid/comet (just as I KNOW a human/horse hybrid is a centaur), the question is: when they chose the name for the class or group of items or what-have-you which the latter term centaur represents in homage to the former class of objects, what is the RHETORICAL TERM for engaging in such an homage?
The etymology of chapel is closer, but I'd still believe that the origin of that word as a general term from one specific example and ... something else-y is NOT a parallel. But again: thank you for playing and I hope someone knows the actual answer! Argghhh!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
here's a list of figures of substitution; enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Considering your list doesn't have eponym on it I would suggest that it's a little off target.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Online etymology
eponym:
"one whose name becomes that of a place, a people, an era, an institution, etc., 1846, from Gk. eponymos "given as a name, giving one's name to something," from epi “upon” (see epi-) + onyma, Aeolic dial. variant of onoma "name" (see name)."
When you look at the meaning of the word "eponym" : litt.
"upon" and "name"
the word does not make a specific difference between the name of a person and the name of a thing; so a thing named after a thing simply stays an eponym (to me).
centaur + centaur = eponym + eponym
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
When you look at the meaning of the word "eponym"
That's what I was on about up above in my post. In Greek, eponumos could be somebody or something after which something was named. But ...
As for the list of rhetorical devices ...
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Yes, well, there 's a lot of reading to do on this thread. I'm already very glad I understood a little of what was going on.
[ Zed! I like your capella - chapel. ]
P.S. ( I don't know what the figure of speech 'an on the bus-off the bus question' means )
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 39
newbie
|
|
newbie
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 39 |
The term googolplex was derived from the comic strip "Barney Google". Later on, the website "Google" was named with the word "googolplex" in mind. Now, to search for something on the Internet is sometimes called "googling". So "googling" is kind of like a 3 layer eponym. Right?
Last edited by obihave; 06/08/11 08:08 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>The term googolplex was derived from the comic strip "Barney Google"
maybe, maybe not - the term 'googol' was invented by a child (Dr Kasner's nine-year-old nephew) who was asked to think up a name for a very big number, namely, 1 with a hundred zeros after it. there is speculation that the boy may have been influenced by Barney, but.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
the term 'googol' was invented by a child
And a googolplex is 10^googol.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,706
Members9,187
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
264
guests, and
18
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
