Term for a trademarked word that is used as a synonym for the item it represents [duplicate]
Apologies in advance if this is a duplicate.
For instance, when I say, "I need a Kleenex" and by that I mean "I need a tissue regardless of the brand", is there a term for words like Kleenex in this context?
I could've sworn this word exists, and probably ends in -nym
. For the life of me, I can neither recall it nor find it anywhere, including this forum where I did a search for things like synonym, hypernym, brand and trademark.
Other words like this include Band-Aid, Jacuzzi and Chapstick.
Here are some sample sentences:
In the UK, Biro is a _____ that can refer to any ballpoint pen.
or
The _____ windbreaker can mean a lightweight jacket of any brand.
or
(InE) "Bring me some Maggi from the store."
"Do you want Maggi noodles specifically, or did you use Maggi as a _______?"
For the record, I would settle for any word or compound word that fits; it doesn't have to end in -nym
. I would prefer a single-word answer.
This article by Business Insider lists more words like this, and says the process is called genericization, but doesn't state a term for such words.
PS - I do not care about the part of speech. For example, I think that the noun Google, when used as a verb, falls under this umbrella. But even if it doesn't, is there a term that covers the other examples I mentioned?
Read more at: https://www.businessinsider.in/strategy/34-trademarked-brands-that-have-become-household-names/articleshow/64376337.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Solution 1:
That's referred to as a proprietary eponym:
A successful brand name or trademark that has come into general use to refer to the generic class of objects rather than the specific brand type, without the exclusive rights to said product being lost by the parent company.
Here's a long, alphabetized list of examples.