Hyperonym

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term that denotes a category encompassing broader concepts or categories of related words
2. A linguistic expression representing a general class from which more specific terms can be derived
3. A word that serves as an overarching label for a group of more specific items or ideas

Etymology: The word is built from two Greek elements. "Hyper-" comes from Greek "hyper," meaning "over" or "above," and "-onym" comes from Greek "onyma," meaning "name." Put together, a hyperonym is a name that sits above other names in a classification: "vehicle" is a hyperonym of "car," "bus," and "bicycle," because it covers all of them under one broader term. The pattern is a deliberate modern one. Linguists formed it on the model of "synonym" and "antonym," which also end in "-onym," and "hyperonym" pairs with its opposite, "hyponym," the more specific term. The two words describe a relationship rather than a thing, so the prefix "hyper-" (over) and the prefix "hypo-" (under) map neatly onto broader and narrower categories.

Synonyms: superordinate, superclass

Antonyms: hyponym, subordinate