Retronym

Aspiring To Be The World's Largest Collection Of English Language Retronyms (122 And Counting!)

Definition:

  • (Greek: retro = backwards, + nym/onuma = name)
  • A word or figure of speech that gets modified to disambiguate it from newer definitions, often brought on through technological advances.  The modification is usually an added leading adjective.
  • "a revisionist renaming of a previously commonly-accepted label"
  • "A word or phrase created because an existing term that was once used alone needs to be distinguished from a term referring to a new development, as acoustic guitar in contrast to electric guitar or analog watch in contrast to digital watch." - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition

Original Coining:

Frank Mankiewicz, an aide to Robert Kennedy

Add To The List:

Got a retronym not listed here?  Let me know:  bjstiefel (at) InformationEngine (dot) com

The Collection:

  1. absolute monarchy
  2. acoustic guitar
  3. AM radio
  4. analog computer
  5. analog watch
  6. bar soap
  7. bias-ply tire
  8. biological parent
  9. birth mother
  10. black-and-white television
  11. blue-collar worker
  12. broadcast TV
  13. bricks-and-mortar store (thanks to John Relf)
  14. Bush 41 (thanks to Doug Orleans)
  15. cast iron skillet (thanks to Lija Greenseid)
  16. charcoal grill
  17. Classic Coke
  18. classical music
  19. clay pot
  20. cloth diaper
  21. continental U.S. (thanks to Doug Orleans)
  22. conventional oven
  23. conventional warfare (thanks to Hiep Nguyen)
  24. conventional weapons
  25. corded mouse (thanks to Ernie Scheuer)
  26. CRT monitor (thanks to Mike Bennett)
  27. crystal radio (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  28. day game
  29. day shift
  30. day job
  31. desktop computer (thanks to Elizabeth Daniel)
  32. dial-up Internet connection
  33. dirt road
  34. disposable batteries
  35. family farm (thanks to Elizabeth Daniel)
  36. forward-engineer(ing) (thanks to Larry Hamel)
  37. forward-field hockey (thanks to Robert Megginson)
  38. film camera
  39. flat-bladed screwdriver
  40. fountain pen (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  41. full-service gas station
  42. fulltime employee
  43. free gift
  44. free parking
  45. free-range chickens
  46. handmade clothes
  47. hard copy
  48. hardcover book
  49. health food
  50. heterosexual marriage (thanks to Paula Lopuch)
  51. home cooking (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  52. horse cavalry (thanks to Philip M. Cohen)
  53. horse-drawn carriage
  54. horse polo
  55. impact printer
  56. incandescent light bulb (thanks to John Relf)
  57. land line
  58. live drama
  59. live TV
  60. log cabin (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  61. magnetic compass
  62. mainframe computer
  63. manual toothbrush (Procter & Gamble sells one under the Crest brand; thanks to Ernie Scheuer)
  64. manual transmission
  65. manual typewriter
  66. mechanical calculator
  67. metal golf spikes (thanks to Richard McMillan)
  68. metrical poetry
  69. monaural recording
  70. natural blonde
  71. natural childbirth
  72. natural flavor
  73. natural language
  74. natural light (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  75. natural sweetener
  76. natural turf
  77. offline publication
  78. oil lamp
  79. Old English
  80. Old Testament
  81. one-speed bicycle
  82. open cockpit
  83. optical microscope
  84. optical telescope
  85. organic food
  86. paper notebook (thanks to James Collins)
  87. plain old telephone service (POTS)
  88. plaintext
  89. pocket watch
  90. print journalists
  91. propeller airplane
  92. push mower
  93. real cream
  94. reel-to-reel tape recorder
  95. regular coffee
  96. representational art
  97. rotary phone
  98. sea salt
  99. silent movie
  100. silk stockings (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  101. single-wide trailer
  102. small arms
  103. snail mail
  104. snow skiing
  105. standard time
  106. steam locomotive
  107. still camera
  108. stone ground (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  109. stone wall  (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  110. straight razor
  111. Summer Olympics
  112. tap water
  113. terrestrial radio (thanks to "batman")
  114. two-parent family
  115. whole milk
  116. whole wheat
  117. wild animal (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  118. wildflower (thanks to Andrew Greenseid)
  119. wood-burning fireplace (or stove)
  120. wooden ship
  121. wooden tennis racket (thanks to Richard McMillan)
  122. World War I

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