Appellativus

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A term used in linguistics to describe a noun that denotes a general class of objects, as opposed to a specific individual or proper name
2. Referring to a type of name that categorizes entities rather than identifies them uniquely
3. Denoting a classification term contrasted with proper nouns, indicating generality in naming conventions

Etymology: Latin grammarians adopted the idea of the common noun from Greek scholars, who called it "prosegoria," a word meaning a form of address. The Latin term "appellativum" comes from "appellare," to address or name, which combines "ad," meaning toward, with "pellere," meaning to drive. A common noun was, in origin, a name that could be called out to any member of a kind. English took "appellative" directly from that Latin root as a learned borrowing. The contrast it names is between a proper noun, which picks out one particular thing, and a general label that applies to every member of a class.

Synonyms: appellative, common noun

Antonyms: proper noun