The suffix -onym (from ) is a bound morpheme, that is attached to the end of a root word, thus forming a new compound word that designates a particular class of names. In linguistic terminology, compound words that are formed with suffix -onym are most commonly used as designations for various onomastic classes. Most onomastic terms that are formed with suffix -onym are classical compounds, whose word roots are taken from classical languages (Greek and Latin).
For example, onomastic terms like toponym and linguonym are typical classical (or neoclassical) compounds, formed from suffix -onym and classical (Greek and Latin) root words ( / place; / language). In some compounds, the -onym morpheme has been modified by replacing (or dropping) the "o". In the compounds like ananym and metanym, the correct forms (anonym and metonym) were pre-occupied by other meanings. Other, late 20th-century examples, such as hypernym and characternym, are typically redundant neologisms, for which there are more traditional words formed with the full -onym (hyperonym and charactonym).
The English suffix -onym is from the Ancient Greek suffix (ōnymon), neuter of the suffix (ōnymos), having a specified kind of name, from the Greek (ónoma), Aeolic Greek ὄνυμα (ónyma), "name". The form -ōnymos is that taken by ónoma when it is the end component of a bahuvrihi compound, but in English its use is extended to tatpuruṣa compounds.
The suffix is found in many modern languages with various spellings. Examples are: Dutch synoniem, German Synonym, Portuguese sinónimo, Russian синоним (sinonim), Polish synonim, Finnish synonyymi, Indonesian sinonim, Czech synonymum.
According to a 1988 studyScheetz, Names' Names, p. 1 of words ending in -onym, there are four discernible classes of -onym words: (1) historic, classic, or, for want of better terms, naturally occurring or common words; (2) scientific terminology, occurring in particular in linguistics, onomastics, etc.; (3) language games; and (4) nonce words. Older terms are known to gain new, sometimes contradictory, meanings (e.g., eponym and cryptonym). In many cases, two or more words describe the same phenomenon, but no precedence is discernible (e.g., necronym and penthonym). New words are sometimes created, the meaning of which duplicating existing terms. On occasion, new words are formed with little regard to historical principles.
Words that end in -onym
acronym: considered to be a "word" in its original sense formed from the initials of one or more words that is pronounceable like a normal word, such as NATO, sometimes in distinction to initialism; reflecting a historical development from its component word initials agoronym: a name of a square or a marketplace. agronym: a name of a field or a plain. allonym: an author's name of another person — often, a well-known person's name; an alternative term for a pseudonym anacronym: an acronym so well-established that its origin as an abbreviation is no longer widely known and its component initials are in danger of no longer being recognized (a blend of anachronism and acronym) andronym: a male name, or a man's name adopted by a woman as a pseudonym. anonym: something created anonymously, or its creator; an unknown author; this term now generally replaced by pseudonym anemonym: name of a hurricane or violent wind anepronym: a portmanteau of anacronym and eponym; an original eponym of a trademark term that becomes so well established that it is used to define other objects that share its own definition (e.g., aspirin) anthroponym: a proper name of a human being, individual or collective. anthropotoponym: a type of toponym (place name) that is derived from an anthroponym antonym: a word with the exact opposite meaning of another word; an antithesis: often shown in opposite word pairs such as "high" and "low" (compare with "synonym") apronym: a word which, as an acronym or backronym, has a meaning related to the meaning of the words constituting the acronym or backronym; such as PLATO for "Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching" alluding to Plato, the philosopher and teacher aptronym: a name appropriate to its owner's occupation or physical properties, such as "Goldsmith" or "Longman" (compare with "charactonym") — coined by Franklin P. Adams asteroidonym: a proper name of an asteroid. astionym: a name of a town or city. astronym: a name of a star (or more loosely of a constellation, or other heavenly body). autoethnonym: an ethnonym of endonymic (native) origin, created and used by an ethnic group as a self-designation (see also: endoethnonym). autoglossonym or autoglottonym: a glossonym / glottonym (language name) of endonymic (native) origin, created and used by native speakers as a designation for their language. autolinguonym: a linguonym (language name) of endonymic (native) origin, same as autoglossonym / autoglottonym (see also: endolinguonym). autonym: Botanical nomenclature for an automatically created name. Not to be confused with onomastic autonym, formerly used as a variant term for endonym. backronym: an ordinary word understood as an (usually amusing or ironic) acronym (a portmanteau of back + acronym), such as Fiat understood as "Fix It Again Tomorrow" basionym: the first name published for a biological taxon (species, genus, etc.), which remains the defining name for the taxon even when the taxon has been transferred to a new name caconym: a bad name, either from poor formation (as through mixing Greek and Latin) or unpleasantness (as through lengthiness or cacophony)Oxford English Dictionary (1972), "caconym, n." capitonym: a word that changes its meaning (and sometimes pronunciation) when it is capitalized, such as March and march or Polish and polish. charactonym: a name of a fictional character reflected in his personality traits, such as Shakespeare's Pistol or Bottom (compare with "aptronym") choronym: a proper name of a region or a country. chrematonym: a proper name of a particular (unique) object, natural or artificially made. For example: Hope Diamond (proper name of a famous diamond), Bayeux Tapestry (proper name of a famous tapestry), or Wanamaker Organ (proper name of a famous musical instrument). chresonym: Biol. use of a taxonomic name; historically sometimes referred to as a synonym. Sometimes divided into orthochresonyms (correct usages) and heterochresonyms (names incorrectly applied). chrononym: a proper name of a time period, like the Bronze Age, or the Middle Ages. co-hyponym: a word that shares the same superordinate term as another word. For example: "lily" and "rose" are co-hyponyms in the superordinate category "flower." cometonym: a proper name of a comet. comonym: a name of a village. contronym or antagonym or autoantonym: a word that may have opposite meanings in different contexts, such as cleave meaning "stick together" or "split apart" cosmonym: a proper name of a cosmic feature, outside Earth. cryptonym: a code name; a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word demonym: a name, derived from a place name, for residents of that place (e.g., Utahn, from Utah, or Sioux Cityan, from Sioux City) — coined by George H. Scheetz, according to Paul Dickson in What Do You Call a Person From...? A Dictionary of Resident Names.What Do You Call a Person From...? A Dictionary of Resident Names by Paul Dickson (Facts on File, February 1990). The term first appeared in print in 1988 in Names' Names: A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon by George H. Scheetz.Names' Names: A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon by George H. Scheetz (Sioux City: Schütz Verlag, 1988) No ISBN See also taxonym. dromonym: a name of a road or any other communication or transport route by land, water or air. drymonym: a proper name of a wood or forest. ecclesiastonym: a name referring to members of a religious entity, e.g. Methodist, Protestant, Rastafarian, Wiccan (from Greek ekklisiastís 'churchgoer') ecclesionym: a name of a church. endochoronym: a choronym (regional or country name) of endonymic (native) origin, created and used by native population as a designation for their region or country. endoethnonym: an ethnonym of endonymic (native) origin, created and used by an ethnic group as a self-designation (see also: autoethnonym). endolinguonym: a linguonym (language name) of endonymic (native) origin, created and used by native speakers as a designation for their language (see also: autolinguonym). endonym: a self-assigned name by locals of a place, or a group of people; formerly also known as autonym, but that term is polysemic (not to be confused with the autonym in botany). endotoponym: a type of toponym (place name) of endonymic (native) origin, created and used by native population as a designation for some toponymic feature in their homeland. eponym: a botanical, zoological, artwork, or place name that derives from a real or legendary person; a name for a real or hypothetical person from whom a botanical, geographical, artwork or zoological name is derived; a person after whom a medical condition is named, or the condition so named. A type of taxonym. ergonym: a name of an incorporated work-oriented entity, like a workshop, company or any firm in general. ethnochoronym: a choronym derived from an ethnonym. ethnohydronym: a hydronym that is formed from an ethnonym. ethnonym: a name of an ethnic group. ethnotoponym: a type of toponym that is formed from an ethnonym. exochoronym: a choronym (regional or country name) of exonymic (foreign) origin, created and used by those who don't belong to the native population of a referred territory. exoethnonym: an ethnonym of exonymic (foreign) origin, created and used as a designation for an ethnic group by those who do not belong to it. exolinguonym: a linguonym (language name) of exonymic (foreign) origin, created and used by those who are not native speakers of that language. exonym: a name used by one group of people for another group, but who call themselves by a different name, such as "Germans" for "Deutsche"; a place name used by one group that differs from the name used by the people who live there, such as "Cologne" for "Köln". exotoponym: a type of toponym (place name) of exonymic (foreign) origin, created and used by those who don't belong to the native population of a region in which the referred toponymic feature is located. gamonym: a name bestowed as a consequence of marriage. Judy Jones married Count Stephen Smith: her gamonyms include Mrs. Stephen Smith, Judy Smith, and Countess Smith. geonym: a name of a geographic feature, on Earth. glacionym: a name of a glacier. glottonym or glossonym: a name of a language gynonym: a female name, or a woman's name adopted by a man as a pseudonym. hagionym: a name of a saint. hagiotoponym: a type of toponym (place name) derived from a hagionym (name of a saint). helonym: a name of a swamp, marsh, or bog. heterochresonym: (biological taxonomy) see chresonym. heteronym: a word that is spelled in the same way as another but that has a different sound and meaning, for example "bow" as in "bow of a ship" or "bow and arrow" (compare "homonym") hodonym: a name of a street or road (also odonym). holonym: a word for the whole of which other words are part, in the way house contains roof, door and window; or car contains steering-wheel and engine (compare "meronym")