ISO 22745-2:2010(E)

11 Terms relating to designations

11.1
designation

designator

representation of a concept by a sign which denotes it

NOTE   In terminology work three types of designations are distinguished: symbols, appellations and terms.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.1]

11.2
appellation

name

verbal designation of an individual concept

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.2]

11.3
term

verbal designation of a general concept in a specific subject field

NOTE 1  A term may contain symbols and can have variants, e.g. different forms of spelling.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.3]

NOTE 2  A word or phrase can designate different general concepts in different subject fields.

EXAMPLE   Within the subject fields "marine biology", the word "dolphin" could designate a small toothed whale-like sea mammal with a beak-like snout. Within the subject fields "dock construction", the same word "dolphin" could designate a mooring post that is a cluster of closely driven piles used as a fender for a dock or as a mooring or guide for boats.

11.4
basic term

noun word with the minimum number of modifiers necessary to establish a concept

11.5
simple term

term containing only one root

NOTE   Examples of simple terms are: sound, light.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.4]

11.6
complex term

term containing two or more roots

NOTE   Examples of complex terms are: bookmaker, know-how, fault recognition circuit.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.5]

11.7
synonymy

relation between or among terms in a given language representing the same concept

NOTE 1  The relation of synonymy exists, for example, between deuterium and heavy hydrogen.

NOTE 2  Terms which are interchangeable in all contexts are called synonyms; if they are interchangeable only in some contexts, they are called quasi-synonyms.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.19]

11.8
homonymy

relation between designations and concepts in a given language in which one designation represents two or more unrelated concepts

NOTE 1  An example of homonymy is:

bark

  1. sound made by a dog

  2. outside covering of the stem of woody plants

  3. sailing vessel

NOTE 2  The designations in the relation of homonymy are called homonyms.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.25]

11.9
abbreviation

designation formed by omitting words or letters from a longer form and designating the same concept

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.9]

11.10
acronym

abbreviation made up of the initial letters of the components of the full form of the designation or from syllables of the full form and pronounced syllabically

NOTE   Examples of acronyms are: laser, DOS, GATT, UNESCO, UNICEF.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.10]

11.11
term acceptability rating

rating established from a predetermined scale and used to evaluate a term

NOTE   The following ratings are common: preferred, admitted, deprecated.

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.14]

11.12
preferred term

term rated according to the scale of the term acceptability rating as the primary term for a given concept

[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.15]


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