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Nym-ble with -nym's Trivia Quiz

The suffix "-nym" comes from the Greek for "name". Many English words end with "-nym". Do you know them? You may find that some questions will contain subtle hints to the answer. Have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by Jordanar18. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Jordanar18

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
337,718

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
409

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. According to the definition of "word", a word needs to be pronounceable in order to be a word. With that in mind, which of these words is not an acronym? Hint

FBI

SCUBA

NATO

FEMA

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Question 2 of 15

2. I would think that both good people and evil people know what antonyms are. Wait, what are antonyms again? Hint

Two words similar in meaning

Two words opposite in meaning

Two words everybody should know

Two words that sound alike

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Question 3 of 15

3. Many words themselves should be aware of what an autonym is. What word in this question is an example of one? Hint

Question

What

Word

Example

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Question 4 of 15

4. 18-year-old Dan Druff is just out of high school, trying to decide what career to look into. Just then, a voice says in his ear, "Beware of aptronyms!" What career should he look into? Hint

Hairdresser

Electrician

Farmer

Lawyer

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Question 5 of 15

5. For argument's sake, let's say this isn't a question. What is it? Hint

A capitonym

An allonym

An anonym

A bactronym

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Question 6 of 15

6. Juan is proud to be a Mexican. Which of these would be a correct use of a demonym? Hint

Calling someone from a foreign country by their real name

Calling someone from America "a person from America"

Calling someone named Juan "John"

Calling someone from America an American

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Question 7 of 15

7. Hopefully one day your name will be attributed to an eponym. But first you should know what an eponym is. What is it? Hint

A name that two different people have

A word that is also a name

A word that comes from someone's name

A name that can be of either gender

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Question 8 of 15

8. Some people outside the United States of America may not believe that Americans call it the USA. Which of these is a good example of an exonym? Hint

Canada

South Africa

Australia

Spain

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Question 9 of 15

9. Many of you can see, rather than hear, the difference between homonyms and homophones. But just as a refresher, what are homonyms? Hint

Two words with the same meaning, but which are spelled and prounounced differently

Two words with the same pronunciation, but with a different spelling and meaning

Two words with the same pronunciation and the same spelling, but with two different meanings

Two words with the same pronunciation and meaning, but different spellings

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Question 10 of 15

10. Mike wants to buy some candy, but instead of going to the candy store, he goes to the grocery store. Has Mike gone to the "hypernym" store?

Yes

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Question 11 of 15

11. Here is an analogy for you: Samuel Clemens is to Mark Twain as proper name is to? Hint

Pseudonym

Euonym

Eponym

Paranym

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Question 12 of 15

12. We might have to go back in time to find this answer. Which of these would NOT be an example of a retronym? Hint

Pocket Watch

Minicomputer

Fountain Pen

Rotary Phone

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Question 13 of 15

13. Two like-minded people should both be correct in deciding what synonyms are. If one of these people is intelligent, the other is most likely what? Hint

Dumb

Identical

Crazy

Smart

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Question 14 of 15

14. If you play with your yo-yo while wearing a tutu and saying "bye-bye" to your Mama (or your Papa), maybe you're playing with tautonyms. Are you?

Yes

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Question 15 of 15

15. If you're tired of thinking about "nym" words, maybe you should end your day. In celebration, you should maybe have this drink, which also happens to be a toponym. What is it? Hint

Coca-Cola

Martini

Milk

Champagne

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. According to the definition of "word", a word needs to be pronounceable in order to be a word. With that in mind, which of these words is not an acronym?

Answer: FBI

The Greek root "acro-" means "top". An acronym is defined as a word formed from initials ("tops" of words). Therefore, an acronym must be pronounceable. FBI cannot be pronounced as a word as it is an initialism, so, therefore, it is technically not an acronym.

2. I would think that both good people and evil people know what antonyms are. Wait, what are antonyms again?

Answer: Two words opposite in meaning

Like "good" and "evil", a set of antonyms is a pair of words that mean the opposite of one another. "Anto-" is the Greek root meaning "against".

3. Many words themselves should be aware of what an autonym is. What word in this question is an example of one?

Answer: Word

An autonym is a word that describes itself. The prefix "auto-" means "self". "Word" is a word, so therefore, it is an autonym. Other examples of autonyms are "noun" (which is a noun), and "abbr." (which is an abbreviation).

4. 18-year-old Dan Druff is just out of high school, trying to decide what career to look into. Just then, a voice says in his ear, "Beware of aptronyms!" What career should he look into?

Answer: Hairdresser

An aptronym is a name that matches its owner's occupation or character. This comes from the word "apt". The name in this question combines to the word "dandruff", so a good occupation for him would be a hairdresser.

5. For argument's sake, let's say this isn't a question. What is it?

Answer: An anonym

An anonym is something that doesn't have a name. This is where the word "anonymous" comes from. Since we're saying it's not a question, it is an anonym.

6. Juan is proud to be a Mexican. Which of these would be a correct use of a demonym?

Answer: Calling someone from America an American

A demonym is the name given to a person from a country, state, or other place, which is derived from that place. "Demo-" comes from the Greek for "populace". An American is a demonym, which is someone from America.

7. Hopefully one day your name will be attributed to an eponym. But first you should know what an eponym is. What is it?

Answer: A word that comes from someone's name

An eponym can mean someone that gives his/her name to a word or a word originating from someone's name. A good example would be the word "sandwich", which was named after the Earl of Sandwich.

8. Some people outside the United States of America may not believe that Americans call it the USA. Which of these is a good example of an exonym?

Answer: Spain

An exonym is a name given by foreigners that is different that the one used by natives. Since Spain is called "Espana" by natives, Spain is an exonym. Spanish-speakers may refer to the USA as "Los Estados Unidos", which would be their exonym for the USA. "Exo-" is the Greek root meaning "outside". Another good example is Germany (Deutschland).

9. Many of you can see, rather than hear, the difference between homonyms and homophones. But just as a refresher, what are homonyms?

Answer: Two words with the same pronunciation and the same spelling, but with two different meanings

The word homonym comes from the Greek meaning "having the same name". Words that have two or more meanings are homonyms. Homophones have the same sound but are always spelled differently.

10. Mike wants to buy some candy, but instead of going to the candy store, he goes to the grocery store. Has Mike gone to the "hypernym" store?

Answer: Yes

A hypernym is a term that is more general than another, related term. "Hyper-" is the Greek root meaning "over". Since "groceries" is more general than "candy", "groceries" is the hypernym.

11. Here is an analogy for you: Samuel Clemens is to Mark Twain as proper name is to?

Answer: Pseudonym

From the Greek for "false name", a pseudonym is a name that is taken in place of another name. As Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Clemens, Twain is his pseudonym.

12. We might have to go back in time to find this answer. Which of these would NOT be an example of a retronym?

Answer: Minicomputer

A retronym is a word or phrase that is given to an object, usually as a result of technological advance. For example, a pocket watch used to be called simply a "watch", but because of the invention of the wrist watch, it had to be distinguished. Since "minicomputer" is a name given to a more modern computer, it is not a retronym.

13. Two like-minded people should both be correct in deciding what synonyms are. If one of these people is intelligent, the other is most likely what?

Answer: Smart

Synonyms are words that are similar in meaning. Since the definition of "smart" is similar to the one of "intelligent", they are synonyms of each other. The root "syn-" means "same" in Greek.

14. If you play with your yo-yo while wearing a tutu and saying "bye-bye" to your Mama (or your Papa), maybe you're playing with tautonyms. Are you?

Answer: Yes

A tautonym is a word that is composed of two identical parts. "Yo-yo", "tutu", "bye-bye", "mama", and "papa" are all composed of two identical parts, they are all tautonyms. It can also refer to the name of an animal whose genus and species are the same.

15. If you're tired of thinking about "nym" words, maybe you should end your day. In celebration, you should maybe have this drink, which also happens to be a toponym. What is it?

Answer: Champagne

A toponym is a word that is named after a place. "Topos" in Greek means "place". Since champagne is named after a place in France, it is a toponym.

Source: Author Jordanar18

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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