Hypernyms and Hyponyms: Vocabulary Building

Manik Joshi

Oct 2014 · English Word Power Book 14 · Manik Joshi

About this ebook

What are “Hypernyms and Hyponyms”?

 

HYPERNYM ----

[Hyper- Over; -Onym: Name]

Hypernym is a word that denotes a general category.

Hypernym [singular] | Hypernyms [plural]

Examples: game, bird, etc.

Hypernym is also called ‘Generic term’, ‘Super-ordinate’, ‘Super-type’, or ‘Superset’.

 

Derived terms related to ‘Hypernyms’:

Hypernymous

Words that are hypernyms are said to be hypernymous.

Hypernymy

The state of being a hypernym is called hypernymy.

 

HYPONYM ----

[Hypo- Under; -Onym: Name]

Hyponym is a word that denotes a particular item from a general category.

Hyponym [singular] | Hyponyms [plural]

Examples: football/hockey/cricket, eagle/peacock/sparrow, etc.

Hyponym is also called ‘Subordinate’, ‘Subtype’ or ‘Subset’.

 

Derived terms related to ‘Hyponyms’:

Hyponymous

Words that are hyponyms are said to be hyponymous.

Hyponymy

The state of being a hyponym is called hyponymy.

 

In the above examples, ‘game’ is the hypernym (or supertype) of ‘cricket’, ‘football’ and ‘hockey’.

‘Cricket’, ‘football’ and ‘hockey’ are hyponyms (or subtypes) of ‘game’.

 

Similarly, ‘bird’ is the hypernym (or supertype) of ‘eagle’, ‘peacock’ and ‘sparrow’.

‘Eagle’, ‘peacock’ and ‘sparrow’ are hyponyms (or subtypes) of ‘bird’.

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE 1:

The relationship between hypernym and hyponym is termed as ‘is-a relationship’.

Pattern:

Hyponym + is-a/an + Hypernym

 

Example 1:

Hypernym: game

Hyponym: cricket, football, hockey

 

Cricket is a game.

Football is a game.

Hockey is a game.

 

Example 2:

Hypernym: bird

Hyponym: eagle, peacock, sparrow

 

Eagle is a bird.

Peacock is a bird.

Sparrow is a bird.

 

 

Hypernyms and Hyponyms -- A

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A1 --

Hypernym -- acid

Hyponyms -- amino acid / ascetic acid / ascorbic acid / boric acid / carbonic acid / citric acid / hydrochloric acid / hydrofluoric acid / lactic acid / nitric acid / nucleic acid / oxalic acid / phosphoric acid / sulfuric (sulphuric) acid

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A2 --

Hypernym -- account

Hyponyms -- budget account / checking account / current account / deposit account / savings account

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A3 --

Hypernym -- affix

Hyponyms -- prefix / suffix

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A4 --

Hypernym -- African

Hyponyms -- Algerian / Congolese / Egyptian / Kenyan / Liberian / Libyan / Moroccan / Senegalese / Sudanese / Ugandan

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A5 --

Hypernym -- algae

Hyponyms -- anabaena / cowstail / cuvie / dabbylocks / featherweed / flans / grapestone / gulf weed / honeyware / laver / liadhaig / murlins / nostoc / pod weed / pompon / oscillatoria / rockweed / seaweed / thong weed / watersilk

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A6 --

Hypernym -- age [a particular period of history

Hyponyms -- bronze age / iron age / new age / stone age

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A7 --

Hypernym -- agent

Hyponyms -- double agent / estate agent / land agent / press agent / secret agent / special agent / travel agent

 

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A08 --

Hypernym -- alloy

Hyponyms -- amalgam / billon / brass / bronze / iron / magnalium / megallium / nichrome / scandium / solder / steel / stellite

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A09 --

Hypernym -- amphibian

Hyponyms -- frog / salamander / toad

 

Hypernym / Hyponym -- Example A10 --

Hypernym -- angle

Hyponyms -- acute angle / adjacent angle / exterior angle / interior angle / obtuse angle / reflex angle / right angle

About the author

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamt of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.