There I was Googling “proprietary” for a story about misuse of the word when I came across this gem from R.Krause:
An eponym is a general term used to describe from what or whom something derived its name. Therefore, a proprietary eponym could be considered a brand name (product or service mark) which has fallen into general use.
Yes, R. has a bunch of them listed, Xerox, Jell-O, Velcro, and more. Too bad it was last updated in 1997. I wonder when “Google” turned from brand name to verb.
American Proprietary Eponyms
Database updated December 8, 1997
An eponym is a general term used to describe from what or whom something derived its name. Therefore, a proprietary eponym could be considered a brand name (product or service mark) which has fallen into general use.
We’ve all seen it happen. The trademarks of today become the household word of tomorrow. Well, some say ’tis the price companies pay for a popular product.
And now a word from our sponsor…
In general, an eponym succeeds only if it can convey its purpose successfully without adjectives or modifiers. For example Use some saran wrap works as successfully as Use some saran wrap to keep your food fresh. In fact the former sentence is agreeably less redundant.
So, what leads a brand name to become eponym? Well, for one thing, other brands of similar nature must exist; but even more importantly, the original product, even if discontinued, must still function pronominally. In other words, a specific can be used to designate a class of generics with no loss in meaning. A usual result: lower case transcription of the brand name.
Now, here’s the twist: Brand names are, in fact, neither nouns nor verbs, but the rare case of proper adjectives. To recognize such words, a noun such as brand and/or a noun phrase defining the product or service is used. The brand name must also be capitalized (order of of decreasing acceptability: SARAN WRAP, SARAN WRAP, or Saran Wrap) or made distinct from the surrounding text (order of decreasing acceptability: Saran Wrap, Saran Wrap, or Saran Wrap). After the first occurence of the word in writing, however, initial caps are all that is needed.
Taking this into account, the above imperative would be better stated Use some SARAN WRAP brand food storage wrap, which not only shows respect, but precludes misinterpretation.
INTRODUCTION
DBAPE is an ongoing personal project of mine, being designed and developed primarily for cross reference. I’ve included various brand names (trademarks), their respective owners (tradenames), and any commonly misunderstood forms (lowercase, non adjectival), some with example sentences.
Despite my choice in a page title, this database is nonalphabetized and lacks any search capabilities. However, these features are coming soon. In the mean time, if you find any discrepancies or perhaps have a word to add, please drop me a note. Thanks for visiting.
— R. Krause
XEROX
Xerox Corporation
xerox n; xeroxes n. pl. : photocopy
Julian requested a xerox of all relevant marketing materials.
xerox v.; xeroxed v. p.; xeroxing v. pr. : to photocopy
Can you xerox these within the hour?
xerox machine n. : electronic xerography machine
We must purchase more xerox machines for the office.
xerox paper n. : paper for use in photocopiers
KLEENEX
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
kleenex n.; kleenexes n. pl. : soft facial tissue
Dry your excess lipstick with this piece of kleenex.
BAND AID
Johnson & Johnson
band aid, band-aid, bandaid n.; band aids, band-aids, bandaids n. pl. : plastic adhesive bandage strip
Any first aid kit should include a supply of bandaids.
COKE
The Coca Cola Company
coke n. : soda pop; color carbonated soft drink
Coke, the beverage of choice for us teens!
COLA
The Coca Cola Company
cola n. : soda pop; color carbonated soft drink
KOOL-AID
Kraft Foods, Incorporated
Kool-Aid, cool aid, coolaid n. : instant lemonade/soft-drink mix
On a hot summer’s day, there’s nothing like a refreshing glass of cool aid.
SCOTCH TAPE
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M)
scotch tape n. : cellophane adhesive tape
Can I borrow an open roll of scotch tape, please?
POPSICLE
Good Humor – Breyers Ice Cream Company
popsicle n. : colored ice candy on a stick
It’s fun to try and make popsicles on a ninety-degree afternoon.
WITE-OUT
BIC Corporation
wite-out, white out, white-out n. : correction fluid
This report is literally layered with white out. What happened?
wite-out, white out, white-out v.; wited-out, whited out, whited-out v. p.; witing-out, whiting out, whiting-out v. pr. : to cover or wipe out an error, usually typographical
The title still needs to be whited out.
Another possible variation of the verb wite-out is the construction white…off as in Could you please white my name off that agreement.
STYROFOAM
Dow Chemical Company
styrofoam n. : extruded polystyrene insulating foam
styrofoam adj. : consisting of extruded polystyrene foam
JELL-O
Kraft Foods, Incorporated
jell-o, jello n. : fruit flavored gelatin
POST-IT NOTE
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M)
post-it note, post-it n.; post-it notes, post-its n. pl. : self-stick removable reminder label
VELCRO
Velcro Industries B.V.
velcro n. : hook and loop fastener; touch fastener
velcro adj. : consisting of hook and loop or touch fasteners
The black velcro sandals seem to fit the best.
THERMOS
Top Thermo Manufacturing SDN BHD
thermos n.; thermoses n. pl. : thermal insulated flask or box
ESCALATOR
Otis Elevator Company
escalator n.; escalators n. pl. : power-driven stair system
HI-LITER
Avery Dennison Corporation
hi-liter, hiliter n.; hi-liters, hiliters n. pl. : pen-style highlighting marker
hi-lite, hilite n.; hi-lites, hilites n. pl. : highlight
hi-liter, hiliter v.; hi-lit, hilited, hi-lited v. p.; hi-liting, hiliting v. pr. : to highlight
LISTERINE
Warner-Lambert Company
listerine n. : antiseptic mouthwash
SARAN WRAP
Dow Chemical Company
saran wrap n. : plastic food storage wrap
JEEP
Chrysler Corporation
jeep n.; jeeps n. pl. : compact sport-utility station wagon
VICKS
Warner-Lambert Company
vicks, vix n. : nasal decongestant cream
WEBSTER’S
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
webster’s, websters n. : pocket or desk reference dictionary
ALKA SELTZER
Bayer Corporation
alka seltzer n. : effervescent antacid soda
SPAM
Hormel Foods Corporation
spam n. : smoked pork and ham luncheon loaf; slang (usually all caps) random and innapropriate facsimile advertising, esp. UBE and UCE
spam v.; spammed v. p.; spamming v. pr. : slang (usually all caps) to post or send broadcast or commercial facsimiles
BISQUICK
General Mills, Incorporated
bisquick n. : instant pancake mix
CHEERIOS
General Mills, Incorporated
cheerios n. : toasted o-shaped oats
RICE KRISPIES
Kellogg Company
rice krispies n. : toasted crispy rice cereal
rice krispies treat, rice krispy treat n. : marshmellow rice bar
TWIZZLERS
Hershey Foods Corporation
twizzlers n. : fruit-twist confectionary
LYCRA
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont)
lycra n. : nylon spandex
lycra adj. : consisting of nylon spandex
COOL WHIP
Kraft Foods, Incorporated
cool whip, cool-whip n. : pre-whipped cream topping
PEPSI
PepsiCo, Incorporated
pepsi n. : soda pop; color carbonated soft drink
GATORADE
The Gatorade Company
gatorade n. : nutrition supplement drink
TYLENOL
Johnson & Johnson
tylenol n. : acetaminophine tablets
HALLS
Warner-Lambert Company
halls n. : vapor-action cough suppressent tablet
LEGO
The Lego Group
lego n.; legos n. pl. : plastic, snap-action building block
ROLODEX
Newell Company
rolodex n. : rotary card file; slang contact directory
VASELINE
Chesebrough-Pond’s Incorporated
vaseline n. : pure petroleum jelly
CHAP STICK
American Home Products Corporation
chap stick n. : flavored lip balm stick
Q-TIPS
Chesebrough-Pond’s Incorporated
q-tip n.; q-tips n. pl. : cotton swab applicator
MUZAK
Muzak, L.P.
muzak n. : contemporary instrumental music; nonvocal nuage-pop-jazz blend; slang elevator music
muzak v.; muzaked v. p.; muzaking v. pr. : to form into muzak
CAROID
The Mentholatum Company
caroid n. : oral hygiene tooth powder
POP TART
Kellogg Company
pop tart n.; pop tarts n. pl. : toaster pastry
I always keep a fresh supply of frosted pop tarts in my desk drawer.
WALKMAN
Sony Corporation
walkman n.; walkmans n. pl. : handheld radio-cassette player
Wait, don’t most walkmans come with a pair of earphones?
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Copyright 1997, CONCENTRIC. All rights reserved.