C

A secret name. A code name not designed to be heard by the general public. Compare Code Name.

Any brand associated with a company or organization rather than a specific product or service.

The repetition of a consonant sound. Cracker Jack is the exemplar of a brand name utilizing consonance.

A word’s extrinsic, figurative senses, including its overtones and shades of meaning . For example, the word ‘travel’ can connote different things to various people - some may think of driving a car, while others think of journeying to exotic locations, while still others think of the hassle involved with getting from airport to airport. Compare Denotation.

An informal word which is frowned upon in formal speech or writing. The word ‘ain’t’ is a colloquialism.

The likelihood that a particular word will occur in the neighborhood of another word. This tendency can be exploited by commercial names. The words ‘spick’ and ‘span’ are an example of collocation; the phrase these words always from inspired the Spic and Span brand cleaning product name.

Any brand name which did not exist in the lexicon prior to its creation. The famous Oreo cookie is an example of a coined name. See Coinage.

The deliberate or accidental creation of a new name. The famous Nerfball is an example of coinage. See Coined Name.

The proliferation of virtually indistinguishable names within a particular category. The high-tech industry is ‘cluttered’ with ‘net’ names.

Any name given to a literary character that is descriptive of a quality or trait of that character, such as, ‘Long John Silver’ for someone who is tall and has silver hair.

The cultural tendency of a set of regional dialects to coalesce into a standard language in response to a center of gravity. The recent standardization of Mandarin Chinese on the model of the Beijing dialect is an example of centripetal force. Compare Centrifugal Force.

The natural tendency of a language to branch into a set of regional dialects. The distinctive dialects of British English are the result of centrifugal force. Compare Centripetal Force.

The literal translation of a word from one language into the lexicon of another. The Mandarin Chinese term nan pengyou ‘male friend’ is a direct translation of the English word ‘boyfriend’. Compare Borrowing.

Any bad brand name. Also, any brand name ill-suited to its positioning and/or purpose. [coined by analogy to cacaphonous from Greek kako ‘bad’ < Indo-European *kakka- ‘to defecate’ + Greek onuma ‘name’]

The particular qualities of one culture’s language ascribed to it by the speakers of another. For example, a French name in English often conveys a sense of sensuality and/or sophistication. Would the Cliniquecosmetic line be so popular if it were called ‘Clinic’ instead? [French ‘a mark of distinction, individuality, or authenticity’ < Old French cacher ‘to press, as with a signet ring’]