Building a Better Vocabulary

Lecture 28: Specialty Words for Language

ż Microsoft = microcomputer + software

ż Amtrak = American + track

Clipped word (noun)

A word that has been shortened with no change in meaning.

z In addition to acronyms and portmanteau words, clipped words are

another way to say more with less in English. Common clipped

words include the following:

ż Gym = gymnasium

ż Exam = examination

ż Lab = laboratory

ż Roach = cockroach

ż Net = Internet

ż )OX LQÀXHQ]D

ż Fridge = refrigerator

z The word canter, referring to a horse’s easy gallop, is also a clipped

word. According to the Dictionary of Word Origins, this word is

derived from the phrase Canterbury trot or gallop, referring to the

pace at which pilgrims in the Middle Ages rode to the shrine of

Saint Thomas À Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

1. Distinguish among homophones, homographs, and homonyms.


2. Distinguish between toponyms and eponyms.

Review Questions