Denominare

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To assign a name or title to someone or something; to classify or categorize within a specific group or system; to denote or indicate by a particular term
2. To give a designation or label to an entity; to organize or arrange under a named category; to identify or signify using a specific word or phrase
3. To bestow an identifying name or epithet; to group or rank according to terminology; to represent or symbolize by a chosen denomination

Etymology: The Latin "denominare" was built from "de-," a prefix that here means something like "thoroughly" or "from," and "nominare," "to name," which itself comes from "nomen," "name." Its basic sense was to name something, and English took it over as a learned term for the same act. English has inherited the root through several relatives that now look quite different. "Nominate" keeps the idea of naming someone for a role, while "denomination" has split into two senses. One is the value printed on a coin or banknote, so a twenty-dollar bill is a note of that denomination. The other is a religious group bearing a particular name. Because the root is so widespread, "name," "nominal," and "nomenclature" all trace back to the same Latin noun, though the English "denominate" itself remains a fairly formal, specialized choice.

Synonyms: name, call, term, label, designate

Antonyms: rename, misname