Retronym

A retronym is a new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name has become used for something else or is no longer unique. "Retronym" is a neologism coined by Frank Mankiewicz http://www.bizforward.com/wdc/issues/2001-03/interview/ and popularized by William Safire http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/4224163.html in 1980 in the New York Times. Many of these are created by advances in technology.

Related Topics:
Neologism - William Safire - 1980 - New York Times

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As reported 10/3/2005 by AP http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1096828, 'retronym' has officially made it into the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Further investigation reveals a report that the American Heritage Dictionary apparently added the word to their lexicon first, back in 2003 http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/features/61879.php.

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