The ending -nym or, most often, -onym is a combining form from Greek that means “name.”

 

Here are the five most common types:

 

Acronym

An acronym is a series of initials taken from the first letters of major words in a name in order to form a shortened version. The letters of an acronym might be pronounced as if it was a word as in UNICEF or have each letter spoken separately as in CIA.

Heteronym

A heteronym is a word that is spelled the same as another but has a different pronunciation and/or meaning. For example, the word address (to speak to someone) is a heteronym of the word address (the name of something’s location).

 

Homonym

The word homonym can refer to a word that is pronounced the same as another word with a different spelling and meaning, such as feet and feat. Alternatively, homonym can refer to a word that has both the same spelling and pronunciation as another word but a different meaning, as in beat (to strike forcefully) and beat (to defeat in a contest).

Antonym

An antonym is a word that has an opposite meaning to another. For example, the word loud is an antonym of the word quiet.

 

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a fake name used by an author to conceal their identity. For example, author Stephen King wrote several novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

 

Synonym

A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as another word. For example, the word big is a synonym of the word large.

 

Toponym

A toponym, also known as a placename, is the name of a geographic location. For example, the city in which the Louvre museum is located is referred to by the toponym Paris.

 

These are just a few from a long list you can check here.

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