A hyponym is a word whose meaning encompasses the meaning of another term.
The first thing we are going to do in order to know the meaning of the term hyponym is to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we have to emphasize that it is a word that derives from Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said language:
-The prefix hypo- , which can be translated as “under” or “under”.
-The noun onoma , which is used to indicate “name”.
What is a hyponym
A hyponym is a term whose meaning encompasses the meaning of another word . It is a concept that has all the semantic features of another more general notion (called hypernym ), but also has other characteristics that allow it to differentiate itself.
“Cat” , for example, is a hyponym of “feline” : therefore, “feline” is a hypernym of “cat” . The term “cat” includes the meaning of “feline” since all “cats” are also “felines” . On the other hand, not all “felines” are “cats” .
The word “cat” , then, encompasses the meaning of “feline” . The Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) begins its definition by indicating that cats are part of the felid family (that is, they are felines). But beyond this inclusion in a general group, the cat has distinctive features : the extension of its body, its short legs, the rough tongue, the soft and thick fur, etc.
The idea of “feline” , meanwhile, includes “cats” , but also “lions” , “tigers” , “leopards” , “jaguars” , “lynxes” and other animals. In short, the hypernym is the broad set that contains its more specific hyponyms.
"Cat" is a hyponym for "feline."
Other examples
Let's look at another example . “Apple” , “orange” , “grape” and “lemon” , among others, are hyponyms of “fruit” . In other words: “fruit” is the hypernym of “apple” , “orange” , “grape” and “lemon” . All of these hypernyms share the semantic features included in “fruit” , but each one also has other specific features.
Other examples to understand the meaning of hyponym are the following:
– Coyote, lion, tiger, leopard, wolf, fox or vulture , for example, are hyponyms of carnivores .
-If we think about countries , we have to establish that they are hyponyms of that term from Spain to Portugal passing through France, the United States, Italy, Germany, Switzerland ...
-If we are talking about kitchen utensils , we can determine that they would be hyponyms from spoon to knife through fork, mixer, saucepan, bowl, pot, pan or spatula .
-If, on the other hand, we were to think of the word furniture , its hyponyms would be words such as table, chair, sofa, armchair, sideboard, chest of drawers ...
-In the event that we were talking about vehicles , we can establish that words such as car, train, plane, van, bicycle, motorcycle, tram, subway, bus ...
Uses of hyponyms
It is common that, when writing a text , hyponyms and hypernyms are used to avoid repeating words . It is better to write “The boy took a bite of the apple and began to walk. After taking ten steps, he threw the fruit out the window. “The boy took a bite of the apple and started walking. After taking ten steps, he threw the apple out the window .
It is necessary for journalists, writers, columnists and other writing professionals to use hypernyms and even hyponyms in their documents because it not only helps them not to repeat themselves but also to make clear their mastery of their language as well as their fluency.