Autological

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌɔː.təʊˈlɒ.dʒɪ.kəl/

Definitions

1. A word whose meaning applies to itself, such as "short" being brief or "English" being in the English language
2. A term that possesses the very quality it names, making it self-referentially true through its own definition
3. Describes a term that inherently has the quality it denotes, referring directly to itself

Etymology: "Autological" describes a word that applies to itself: "English" is English, "polysyllabic" is polysyllabic, and "short" is not short. The adjective was built in German as "autologisch," combining the Ancient Greek "autós," meaning "self," with "lógos," meaning "word." English then added the familiar "-ical" ending, which is how Greek-based adjectives in "-ic" are commonly extended, to give the form now in use. The result is a term whose construction is itself a small joke. Its literal meaning, "self-word," is exactly the property it describes, so the word is autological in the very sense it names. The contrasting term "heterological" covers words that do not apply to themselves, such as "long," which is short.