| common name |
| Definition -
A name that is used to designate a class of objects. As opposed to a proper name, which is used to designate a particular individual entity.
Notes: 1. They are not usually written with initial capital letters. 2. The study of common names, especially when they form terminologies, is called onomasiology. |
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Example - dog, book, baseball player, and dictionary |
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Oxford English Dictionary - The term's first citation is from 1596: "Homo is a common name to all men." (Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. i. 104) |
