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]
name
verbal designation of an individual concept
[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.2]
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.
noun word with the minimum number of modifiers necessary to establish a concept
term containing only one root
NOTE Examples of simple terms are: sound, light.
[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.4]
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]
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]
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
sound made by a dog
outside covering of the stem of woody plants
sailing vessel
NOTE 2 The designations in the relation of homonymy are called homonyms.
[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.25]
designation formed by omitting words or letters from a longer form and designating the same concept
[ISO 1087-1:2000, definition 3.4.9]
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]
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]
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]