Orthonym

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A label identifying a word utilized in its accurate, unaltered meaning
2. A designation for a term that conveys its true, intended sense without deviation
3. The authentic and accurate form of a word used in its proper sense

Etymology: "Orthonym" is a plain technical coinage built from two Greek elements: "orthos," meaning straight, correct or right, and "onoma," meaning name. The prefix "ortho-" appears in many English words such as orthodox ("right opinion") and orthography ("right writing"), while the suffix "-onym" is the common ending for words about names, as in synonym, antonym and pseudonym. Put together, an orthonym is literally a "correct name" or a name that is the right one for a thing. The word belongs to the same family of terms that linguists use for naming relationships between words, and it describes a term that says exactly what its speaker means with no distortion. Its use is specialized, appearing mainly in discussions of terminology and language rather than everyday speech.

Synonyms: true name, correct name, proper name, real name

Antonyms: nickname, alias, pseudonym, false name