Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
autonym
noun
ˈɔːtəˌnɪm
Definition
A word that refers to itself or is a name for itself, particularly in linguistics or the taxonomy of languages.
Examples
- The term ‘English’ is an autonym for speakers of the English language.
- In the context of biology, the autonym of a species is the same as its genus name.
Meaning
In linguistics, an autonym is a term that a group uses to refer to themselves or their language.
Synonyms
- self-reference
- auto-reference
