Name
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The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Name (disambiguation).
A name is, according to a current scientific definition, a verbal access index to a set of information about an individual. Names are thus information assigned to a person, an object, an organizational unit (e.g. a company) or a term, which is intended to serve identification and individualization (function of name clarity).
Onomastics deals with the scientific research of names. It is divided into the study of names, which clarifies the history, use and etymology of names, and the theoretical name research, which deals with the question: What is a name? Accordingly, naming theory deals with the main meaning, denotation, of names, while naming studies deals with the connotation of names beyond denotation. See also articles Theoretical name research and Term.
Etymology
The common Germanic word mhd. name, ahd. namo is based on the Indo-Germanic [e]nō̌mn̥-.
Introduction
Name and general term
Modern logic or theoretical name research sees in the name (noun in the logical sense, i.e. much narrower than in the grammatical sense) a special case of designation. One distinguishes three basic types of nouns:
- If a name designates a general term as a defined class of objects, it is called an appellative or generic name.
- A name in the narrower sense, the proper name, technically proprium, denotes a class consisting of only one object, an individual term
- Other nouns denote an open classes, the substance term, which is singular, but open in terms of the number of objects. In this case, we speak of a substance name or continuative.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is a name?
A: A name is a word or a set of words given to things and people.
Q: Can you give an example of a name for an animal?
A: Yes, for example, "cat" is the name of a kind of animal.
Q: Is "Ryan" a name for a person?
A: Yes, "Ryan" is a name of a person, usually a male.
Q: What is a common female name?
A: "Julia" is a common female name.
Q: How can the word "name" be used as a verb?
A: To name something is to give it a name.
Q: What is the definition of giving something a name?
A: Giving something a name means to "name" it.
Q: What does it mean to give something a name?
A: It means to assign a specific word or set of words to refer to the thing or person in question.
