What do we call words or phrases created to describe new things or to give a new name to an old idea?

What do we call words or phrases created to describe new things or to give a new name to an old idea?

• A. Neologisms
• B. Loanwords
• C. Idioms
• D. Cognates

Answer: (A)

New terms created to describe new things or to give a fresh name to an old idea are called neologisms. They arise when technology, culture, or social change brings in concepts that need labels, and they can be formed by blending words, shortening, or repurposing existing ones—think selfies or blogs as examples. This is distinct from loanwords, which are borrowed from other languages; idioms, which are fixed phrases whose meanings aren’t predictable from the words themselves; and cognates, which are related words in different languages that share a common origin. In short, neologisms are newly coined words or phrases.

New terms created to describe new things or to give a fresh name to an old idea are called neologisms. They arise when technology, culture, or social change brings in concepts that need labels, and they can be formed by blending words, shortening, or repurposing existing ones—think selfies or blogs as examples. This is distinct from loanwords, which are borrowed from other languages; idioms, which are fixed phrases whose meanings aren’t predictable from the words themselves; and cognates, which are related words in different languages that share a common origin. In short, neologisms are newly coined words or phrases.