What Are Hyponyms, and Hypernyms?
 |
How Can These Nyms Help You Focus A Search? When striving to name a concept with great precision, it helps to understand synonyms, hypernyms and hyponyms. Knowing how to apply these nyms will sharpen your search skills and enhance your keyword formation. The root "nym" comes from the Greek onoma, a name. We use the term nym to identify many classes of words. In this module we will look at two specific nyms: hypernyms, and hyponyms. (For more about synonyms, see the IMSA Micro Module: What Are Synonyms? How Can Using Synonyms Help Your Search?) We are all familiar with synonyms: words that mean the same thing. The first step in creating a list of keywords is to write down all of the synonyms that describe the topic of your search. You should consider using an online or traditional thesaurus as you create your keyword list. It is also wise to scan the results of your first search for strong keywords. Synonyms (or any keywords) act as either hyponyms or hypernyms. What are hypernyms and hyponyms? How can understanding and using these specialized nyms help you focus a search? |
Hyponym
A hyponym is a word that describes things more specifically. Proper nouns are good examples of hyponyms. Niagara Falls is a hyponym for the concept of waterfall. Ford is a hyponym for the concept car. Just as a hypodermic needle ends with a very fine point, hyponyms are words that pointedly focus your search. Keywords that are hyponyms will retrieve fewer and more precise results. For this reason, hyponyms narrow a search.
Hypernym
Hypernyms are words that refer to broad categories or general concepts. Car or airplane are hypernyms for more precise terms like Toyota Camry, or Boeing 747. If you are not getting enough results you can broaden your search by using hypernyms.
English is an intricate language with many subtleties. Words will always have shades of meaning that are difficult for computers to prioritize. A careful application of nyms can help any search engine find just what you are looking for.
Note: Multimedia Materials open in a new window. Download and install the latest Macromedia Flash Player to use the video or audio materials.
Authored by Dennis O'Connor 2003