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Name Very Common

Name has 19 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

a language unit by which a person or thing is known

"his name really is George Washington"

"those are two names for the same thing"

2

a person's reputation

"he wanted to protect his good name"

3

family based on male descent

"he had no sons and there was no one to carry on his name"

4

a well-known or notable person

"they studied all the great names in the history of France"

"she is an important figure in modern music"

5

by the sanction or authority of

"halt in the name of the law"

6

a defamatory or abusive word or phrase

"The crowd shouted every kind of name at the performer until security had to intervene."

7

Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing.

"The market vendor insisted that we buy the local name for our traditional guanduvias stew, even though it looks nothing like the white yams found back home."

8

Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking.

In plain English: A name is the specific word people use to call you or identify something.

"What is your name?"

Usage: Use "name" to refer to the specific word or title by which a person, place, thing, or concept is known, not as a type of yam. It functions as a noun to identify individuals or entities rather than describe food ingredients.

Verb
1

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

"They named their son David"

"The new school was named after the famous Civil Rights leader"

2

give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property

"Many senators were named in connection with the scandal"

"The almanac identifies the auspicious months"

3

charge with a function; charge to be

"She was named Head of the Committee"

"She was made president of the club"

4

create and charge with a task or function

"nominate a committee"

5

mention and identify by name

"name your accomplices!"

6

make reference to

"His name was mentioned in connection with the invention"

7

identify as in botany or biology, for example

"The field guide helped us correctly name every wildflower we encountered during our hike through the meadow."

8

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

"List the states west of the Mississippi"

9

determine or distinguish the nature of a problem or an illness through a diagnostic analysis

"The doctor spent hours reviewing my symptoms to name the rare infection that was causing such severe fatigue."

10

To give a name to.

"The committee decided to name the new park after the community leader who founded it decades ago."

In plain English: To name something is to give it a specific word or title.

"Please name your favorite color so I can add it to the list."

Usage: Use the verb name when you assign a specific title or designation to someone or something, such as naming a child or naming a new product. Do not use it to simply mention or refer to a person in conversation, which requires verbs like call or mention.

Proper Noun
1

Abbreviation of North American English.

"The abbreviation NA on my email signature stands for North America, but I usually just write name to save space."

Example Sentences
"What is your name?" noun
"She wrote her name on the registration form before entering the building." noun
"The new teacher introduced herself by saying her name to the class." noun
"They did not know his real name because he kept it secret for years." noun
"Please name your favorite color so I can add it to the list." verb
See Also
person title personal label mark identity moniker identification
Related Terms
person title personal label mark identity moniker identification alias nomenclature called bill people lord address calling pat appellation personal identity earth
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
language unit repute family important person sanction defamation label denote appoint establish specify think of enumerate analyze
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
agnomen assumed name eponym filename geographical indication patronymic matronymic street name surname middle name first name nickname alias pseudonym misnomer writer's name appellation pet name title place name signature company name domain name trade name smear word baptize refer style dub rename entitle term tag enumerate number announce pack co-opt commend speak of the devil remember quote touch on invoke namedrop raise drag up cross-refer explore

Origin

The word "name" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁nómn̥, which originally meant "to mark." It traveled into English through Old English and Middle English without changing its core meaning.

Rhyming Words
ame hame game same lame jame mame wame fame came tame rame dame plame arame shame thame syame brame blame
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