Category: Basics

Toponyms and geography are closely interlinked—understanding of either discipline cannot be carried out without some knowledge and use of both. In many cases, place-names can be seen to be the spoken expression of Man’s view of the surrounding landscape.

“exonym” is a common, external name for a place that is used only outside that particular place.“endonym” is a common, internal name for a place, coined and used by its local inhabitants.Examples: “Greece” and “Egypt”.“Greece” is a foreign name, the Greeks call their country: “Elláda”.“Egypt” is a foreign name, the Egyptians call their country: “Miṣr”.“Greece”…

Choronym: a type of toponym representing the name of a region, territory, wilderness or a desert.Example: Sahara, Siberia.Oronym: a name of a hill, mountain, or mountain-range.Example: Rushmore, Zagros.Hydronym: a name of river, lake, or other body of water.Example: Danube.Oikonym or (Latinized) oeconym: a name of  a building or structure.Example: Newcastle.Hodonym: a name of a street…

The study of names is both an old and a young discipline. Since Ancient Greece, names have been regarded as central to the study of language, throwing light on how humans communicate with each other and organize their world.