Foreign words with interesting meanings. Examples of beautiful company names in various fields. How to choose a name for a company. The history of Apple or the struggle of perceptions

The concept of beauty is subjective, but there are words whose beauty is undeniable for most linguists, especially for those who love this language. The unique combination of vowels and consonants, combined with the nuances or associative perception of the word, is capable of creating phonological harmony and musicality that satisfies aesthetic canons. However, just as over-explanation can nullify a joke, we run the risk of overly caustic analysis to bore you and deprive you of the pleasure of hearing, saying and reading these beautiful words. So let's get down to business and share our discoveries.

What are the most beautiful English words?

In 2004, the British Council asked this question to about 40,000 people (for whom English is a foreign language) living in 46 countries around the world. According to the results of the survey, the top ten most beautiful English words from the point of view of non-native speakers are:

mother (mother)
passion (passion)
smile (smile)
love (love)
eternity (eternity)
fantastic (fantastic)
destiny (destiny)
freedom (freedom, independence)
liberty (freedom, liberty)
tranquility (calmness)

Wilfred Funk, the famous lexicographer and author of the Reader's Digest column "It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power", conducted another study, which resulted in the following list of the most beautiful words in the English language:

asphodel (asphodel, narcissus)
fawn (deer)
dawn (dawn)
chalice (cup)
anemone (anemone)
tranquil (calm)
hush (silence)
golden (golden)
halcyon (serene, kingfisher)
camellia (camellia)
bobolink (rice bird)
thrush (thrush)
chimes (chimes, chimes)
murmuring (murmur, mumbling)
lullaby (lullaby)
luminous (luminous)
damask (bulat)
cerulean (azure)
melody (melody)
marigold (marigolds, marigolds)
jonquil (daffodil, bright yellow canary)
oriole (oriole)
tendril (curl, tendril)
myrrh (myrrh)
mignonette (French lace, mignonette)
gossamer (autumn gossamer, transparent)
Alysseum
mist (haze)
oleander (oleander)
amaryllis (amaryllis)
rosemary (rosemary)

To top it all off, we conducted an informal survey among ALTA network linguists and found an interesting pattern. Some of the most beautiful, in their opinion, English words turned out to be borrowings from other languages. This is probably just a reflection of the multi-ethnicity of the English-speaking population, but this fact may also indicate the constant development and expansion of the English language.

In addition, for reasons that are not yet clear, we prefer words that abound with the letters s and q, and when choosing words, we were guided more by their pleasant sound than by associative meaning [with the exception of only a dozen that have firmly entered our speech buzzwords, among which were sale (sale) and free shipping (free shipping)]. Here are our finalists (in random order):

Finalists among the most beautiful English words according to the ALTA poll:

bubble (bubble), a small ball filled with gas, formed in a liquid
poshlust (vulgarity or literal thirst for pathos. - Note. Lane) [borrowing from Russian, adapted by Nabokov], something related to bad taste, obscene
perspicacious (perceptive), subtle mental perception
diaphanous (transparent), sheer, light and translucent
duende (charm) [borrowed from Spanish], the mysterious ability of a work of art to touch human soul
susurrus (rustle), soft murmur, rustling; whisper
sesquipedalian (polysyllabic; long and difficult), using too long, tricky words
ennui (longing) [borrowed from French], a feeling of oppressive boredom
doppelgänger (double) [borrowed from German language], doppelgänger or very similar person
iridescent (iridescent), sparkling and brilliant; shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow
ephemeral (ephemeral), short-lived; transient
arboreal (woody), pertaining to a tree
cadence (modulation), a rhythmic sequence of sounds
mellifluous (mellifluous), caressing the ear
quintessence (quintessence), the very essence of something
epythymy
gezellig (sociable) [borrowed from Dutch], a feeling of warmth and comfort when spending time with those you love in a very pleasant place
saudade (longing) [borrowed from Portuguese], a passionate desire to return the irretrievably lost

Translation from English made in

When simple words learned, common topics have found their place in the head, it's time to learn the words that every graduate should know.

Such vocabulary will be useful to those who are going to donate or receive. That is why today's article will be devoted to those "non-obvious" rare English words that will help you take a step towards success.

A study conducted among American students shows that, on average, out of over 5,000 students, only 21 knew the meaning of all the words in the list in this article. 166 people overcame 95% of the test, but 3254 people were able to deal with only 60% of the questions. At the end of the article, you will find out which words were recognized as the easiest and most difficult.

Abjure- refuse, renounce
Abrogate- declare invalid, cancel (synonym - nullify)
Abstemious- temperate, moderate (synonym - moderate)
Acumen- insight, ingenuity (synonym - perspicacity)
Antebellum- pre-war (meaning what happened before civil war in the USA (1861))
Auspicious- favorable (synonym - favourable)
Belie- distort; expose; slander (synonyms - misrepresent, contradict, slander)
Bellicose- militant, aggressive (synonyms - militant, hostile)
Bowdlerize- Throw out everything undesirable from the book. The term came from the name of Professor T. Bowdler, who in 1818 published a special edition of Shakespeare's plays, where words and expressions that should not be spoken aloud in front of children were omitted.
Chicanery- prevarication, slander
Chromosome– chromosome
Churlish- rude, unfriendly (synonym - boorish, vulgar)
Circumlocution- verbosity, allegory, paraphrase.
Circumnavigate- swim around
Deciduous- shedding, deciduous, shedding leaves, for example, deciduous teeth- baby teeth.
Deleterious- harmful, dangerous (synonym - harmful)
Enervate- weaken, weaken (synonym - weaken)
Enfranchise- grant voting rights; give freedom
Epiphany- Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord; insight, insight
Equinox- equinox
Evanescent- disappearing; fleeting
Expurgate- cross off
Facetious- playful, joyful
Fatuous- senseless, stupid (synonym - foolish, silly)
Feckless- weak, helpless (synonym - useless)
Fiduciary- guardian, guardian
filibuster- pirate, piracy
Gauche- clumsy, clumsy The word came from French, so it has an unconventional pronunciation for English.
Gerrymander- election scams
hegemony- domination, supremacy (synonym - supremacy)
homogeneous– homogeneous
hubris- arrogance, arrogance (synonyms - arrogance, conceit)
Inculcate- inculcate, instill
Jejune- meager; monotonous, meaningless
Kowtow- earthly bow; bow low
Moiety– component, half, share

chromosome
photosynthesis
respiration
plagiarize
hemoglobin
metamorphosis
oxidize

by the most difficult words were recognized unctuous- unctuous, insinuating and pecuniary- monetary, financial, the meaning of which was known by about 29% to 34% of respondents. , and let any words be on your shoulder!

Real examples of choosing the original company name.

Before you start choosing the name of your future or existing business (a name change is required), we bring to your attention an informative selection of materials on how the "great" companies chose or changed the names.

Those great ones who, by their work, by their life in business, have proved that they need to be equal and take all the best from their experience.

Take a closer look at their decisions and stories. Perhaps these examples will inspire you to such successful creativity that will make your choice your right, final and will live with your business for many years.

Creative company names. History of 3M.

Back in 1902, five entrepreneurs from Minnesota decided to found a company and began to decide what to name their new offspring. The first and simplest thing that came to their mind was the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (Mining and Manufacturing Company from Minnesota).

But the founders of the company wanted to stand out in the market not only with their innovative products, but also with the name. Then they replaced the boring and long Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company but simple and original - 3M (Three initial letters of the words included in the original name).

Today's 3M name stands for innovative business around the world. Abbreviations and abbreviations are the ideal means of expressing long and complex names in a company name.

How to choose a name for a company. The history of Apple or the struggle of perceptions.

When Steve Jobs decided to create a company for the production of computers, almost no one knew anything about computers at that time.

Therefore, when it came to choosing a name for his new business, Steve realized that the name of the company should be simple, catchy, friendly and would attract the attention of many people with its unusual semantic load.

Steve chose the name "Apple" (Apple). Subsequently, the co-founder of the company, Steve Wozniak, recalled that Jobs was prompted by his stay in the Oregon apple orchard for this name.

The unexpected decision played a big role in promoting Apple products not only through innovative products, but also through an unusual and such a “delicious” name.

Pronounced company names. BAPE: "Bathing a monkey in warm water."

The name of the company for the production of fashionable youth clothes Bape has become a real sales force.

The fact is that the founder of the company, music producer DJ Tomoaki "Nigo" Nagao was very well versed in how to attract the attention of a part of the youth, to whom the brand's business was directed, and therefore came up with an unusual and sonorous name.

In 1993, Japanese sayings were fashionable among young people. One of these sayings inspired DJ Tomoaki's name: "Bathing Monkeys". Derived from the old Japanese saying "Bathing a monkey in warm water".

This name suited the audience that was originally defined as selfish and self-confident. Therefore, when choosing a company name, first of all, think about who this name will serve, who will be interesting.

An example of a successful company name. Kodak: The Power of the K.

George Eastman, the founder of the world-famous company Kodak, loved the letter "K" since childhood. In 1892, Eastman decided to create a new company to offer the market a completely new, innovative product.

Eastman understood that for such products it was necessary to choose an unusual, modern but simple name. He decided that the name would begin and end with the letter "K".

Moreover, he quite rightly thought that the name should be memorable, not mean anything and should not be distorted. After much experimentation with words and names, the name "Kodak" was chosen.

This name, like the company, existed for more than 100 years and became known to all mankind. The name is firmly entrenched in people's minds as a symbol in the world of photography and pop culture.

The best name for a company. Nike Inc instead of Blue Ribbon Sports.

In 1971, Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight, the founders and owners of Blue Ribbon Sports, were preparing to launch a new line of Carolyn Davidson-branded swoosh football boots, and they needed a new and very catchy name.

This name was supposed to excite the minds of sports fans, and as the owners considered, this could be done by drawing parallels with Greek mythology. Nike - winged Greek goddess Victory.

Everyone liked this name and attracted much more attention from consumers than the boring Blue Ribbon Sports. As a result, it was decided to officially change the name of the entire business in 1978 to Nike Inc.

Beautiful name - Samsonite. "It's never too late to change."

The Shwayder Trung Manufacturing Company, founded in 1910 by Jesse Shvyndar, produced excellent leather suitcases and briefcases that emphasized durability and strength.

However, the company was later named after the biblical Samson, whom God endowed with supernatural powers to defeat his enemies, fight lions, and smash entire armies.

In 1941, Shwayder first began using the "Samsonite" brand name in a separate product line, and completely changed his company name in 1966. The large suitcases that the company produced were associated with heaviness, and those who moved such heavy things, in turn, were associated with the biblical hero.

Very nice and good solution.

Watch the video: The Story of 3M Scotch® Tape.

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The most interesting titles Virgin: Good challenge in the market.

Virgin (Virgo, Madonna, virgin). When 20-year-old entrepreneur Richard Branson was preparing to create his own company and announce it to his first clients, he thought for a long time how to name it correctly.

The case helped. According to a biography of Richard Branson, one of his employees said: “We are completely virgin in this market, and in business in general. Name the company Virgin.

Richard liked this proposal so much that he immediately agreed, and the company with such an unusual name was registered in 1970. And since then, the company has become one of the most famous companies in the world, and the Virgin brand has become one of the most recognizable.

Just nice words for a title. Haagen-Dazs: Look it up in a dictionary.

One example of business owners using meaningless words in their name is the company name Haagen-Dazs.

Look in any dictionary - this name does not mean anything. However, in 1961, the owners of the new ice cream company, Reuben and Rose Mattus, chose this name for their business, and in less than ten years they did nothing. meaningful words the most recognizable among many people and consumers.

The fact is that ice cream was originally sold in a store with the same name in the Bronx, where people of different nationalities lived and many simply did not understand the meaning of the words written in English language. The meaningless name played an excellent service to the entire business.

Interesting company names. Google: Great mistakes.

Google is the name of the company that initially made grammatical errors. "Googol" - this is how the name of the world famous company should have sounded.

Googol (from the English googol) - a number, in the decimal number system, represented by a unit with 100 zeros. When such a name was chosen, it was thought that it was supposed to symbolize the titanic amount of information on the Internet that the company sought to systematize with the help of its new search engine.

But, unfortunately for the owners of the new business, the domain name: Googol.com was already taken. It was then that it was decided to use the distorted Google.com. Now in all dictionaries of the world there are two concepts: Googol and Google.

A beautiful company name can attract attention and stand out from competitors. Especially on initial stage entering the market. Therefore, businessmen pay great attention to the name of their offspring. After all, it is known: as you call a yacht, so it will float.

Although now there are many companies offering naming and branding services, I still think that it is quite possible to come up with spectacular and bright names ourselves. It is enough to turn on your imagination and connect your inner circle. Many famous brand names came about in this unprosaic way.

For example, the legendary name Apple is not the work of highly paid brand makers, but the result of Steve Jobs' "threat". And so it happened.

Brevity is the sister of talent, and this statement is appropriate when choosing a company name. The shorter, the better, and this can be seen in the example of IKEA IK - these are the initials of the founder of the company, EA - the abbreviated name of the Elmtarid farm in the village of Agunnarid, where Ingvar Kamprad was born and raised.

Use in the brand name of your own hometown is also a fairly common method. For example: Nokia is the name of the Finnish village where the company was founded.

There are many examples of successful names, but I want to suggest creating your own top list for the most beautiful company names. Perhaps this will be useful to someone and will give an idea when choosing a name for their company.

I made a selection of the top-30 names of companies in Russian and English of various fields of activity, focusing on my taste.

Trade

Commerce Pro
TradeTrade
goodzone
hobia
MedSnab
AlkoSbyt
Region-Trading
TradeStandard
EconomMarket
RollbackOffice

Construction

StandardIndustry
MonolithTechno
MasterArchitect
Foreman
SupplyMonolith
BrickTechnique
Extrastroy
STIMStroy
SupplyBrigade
Swift Repair

Tourism

Profvoyage
ZagranExtreme
Souvenir tur
foreign country
StandardTravel
EcoTransit
VoyageAll
voucher
LuxVoyage
TourDeMir (similar to tour de france)

And what is the most beautiful name for the company you can offer? What should be considered and what should one pay attention to when choosing a name?

Reviews and statements

Well, it seems to me. most importantly, what would the name of the company be memorable, less text is not needed long names with complex words, so that a person remembers the company for a long time and from the first time. That's about it, a window installation company, I met it on the Internet when I was doing assignments, so the company is called OKONIKA, it's easy to remember, a pretty name.

It seems to me that the most beautiful company name in English is Google, few people know, but it is a number, one and 100 zeros. Perhaps Google predicted the successful existence of the company with this name, soon Google will have Google queries all over the world 🙂. In general I like English titles more than Russians.

I agree, it’s a cool name, it’s somehow parallel to me, whether it’s a Russian or English name, the main thing is that it would carry meaning and be easy to remember. Here are not bad names of asphalt plants, DorLeader, and Basalt.

This is a fun name for a company. What kind of counter is this :)?

Varan said about Google, and I think the most beautiful company name in both Russian and English is Yandex, I think it sounds beautiful and impressive, and the meaning is also laid.

Alex, inspired me to think about the news that the Kalashnikov plant is ready to pay 40 million rubles for the creation of the site. A large amount that is difficult to get out of your head. But in my head it spins like a “rollback”, “rollback” ... hence the name for the company “KickbackKontora” 🙂 The logical process, however.

I think when choosing a name for a company, you need to somehow indicate the field of activity in which this company operates.
I really liked the name "BrockCo" (brokerage company)

The name is beautiful, but in my opinion it is not suitable for a brokerage company, but for some kind of dessert 🙂 .

Give your company your first or last name. This will be the best, as your customers will immediately remember you, and the attitude will be respectful. As before there were companies like Smirnoff or Ivanov and Sons.

Maybe a patronymic? Nikolaich 🙂
the surname is somehow very traditional: Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Meryl Lynch, Berrings, Barclays - "s" at the end of the word - plural
but names with the name of the country sound more globally: "Bank of America", "Credit Suisse", "Royal Bank of Scotland", "Chinese People's Bank"

I really like it when lexical originality is felt in the title. When I used to live in another area, there was a dental office with the name "Dentist and I". Always paid attention and looked at this sign. I also like the name of the YouTube service (the name plays on the slang boob tube “tel”, “box”, and you indicates the degree of the personal factor).

Reduce to euphony or tear out a couple of letters from the name, like Poroshenko. For a long time I didn’t know that sweets were named after him, I thought some French company. Everything is fine with my surname, I inherited a beautiful one from my husband. I named my company "Swan"

It always infuriates me more, and this very often manifests itself in the names of stores, especially grocery stores when they take names. It’s as if people’s imagination doesn’t work at all, and they came up with the name in the first two minutes. I have a very positive attitude towards short names that carry a lot of meaning, this is a really professional approach.

There was also a case, by the way, I saw a kiosk with diminutive suffixes (beer, hot dogs, etc.), also a fun and interesting idea. Those. use the comic component to attract buyers.

I cannot but agree with Helen, the traditions of the old merchant houses were and still are… . In the proposed list, just like the selection of the most ugly names. First of all, the owners want to reflect what their company does specifically. But I like more indirect titles. where originality meets purpose. For example, Firefox.

When I dreamed of my own cafe, moreover, a children's cafe, I wanted to call it Peter Pan. Now I’m thinking about the name of the pizzeria, I decided to name Pizza-Vera after my sister, it turned out to be already taken.

Well, this is just your opinion, in my opinion, several of the company names presented in the first post are beautiful and memorable. And I don’t think that a company should have the most beautiful name, it should be original and memorable, and it doesn’t matter if it is in Russian or in English.

For example - "Foreman", it may not be the most beautiful for the company, but sonorous, original and memorable. It will immediately stick in your head and be remembered. When choosing names for a company, first of all, you need to think not about beauty, but about simplicity, of course, this is only my opinion. And if you only pay attention to beauty, then I like English brands more.

Yes. Alex, there is also Mobilych. And so on... But why attack English titles so hard? But here you are also right ... Not everyone speaks English. And these words mean nothing to them. Regarding Google, I think we need to ask the exact meaning of this word. I haven't been interested in it yet.

Blogger and Buzzfeed columnist Den Dalton polled his Twitter followers to discover the most beautiful words in English according to the majority. And here's what happened:

Aquiver-(adj.) trembling, trembling

mellifluous-(adj.) mellifluous, pleasing to the ear

ineffable-(adj.) that which cannot be expressed, indescribable

hireath– (n) a feeling of homesickness to which you cannot return or which never existed.

nefarious- vile, vile, dishonorable

somnambulist- a person walking in a dream

epoch- epoch

sonorous- voiced loud noise

Serendipity- when everything fits in the best way, or suddenly an important discovery happened; a pleasant surprise

limerence- a condition often described as a passionate attraction to someone, an obsession or romantic love. But can be present without love

bombinate- buzz, buzz

ethereal- ethereal, airy, heavenly

illicit-(adj) illegal, forbidden, criminal

petrichor- the pleasant smell of the earth after the rain. I think such a word should be in the Russian language! You experience such a feeling a hundred times, but how can you not describe
you know, and here you are, such a chic word! =)

iridescent-(adj) iridescent, iridescent, iridescent

epiphany– (n) a moment of sudden epiphany

supine- (adj) lying horizontally on the back

luminescence-(n) light produced by electricity, chemicals, or other means

solitude-(n) a state of isolation and solitude

aurora –(n) dawn

syzygy-(n) the arrangement of celestial bodies in a line. When, for example, the planets line up

phosphines- light (specks) that occurs when you rub your eyes

oblivion-(n) a state when everyone around knows everyone except you

ephemeral- ephemeral, lasting for a very short time

incandescence-(n) light produced at high temperatures

denouement -(n) completion, summing up, final

vellichor-(n) strange nostalgia for old books

eloquence-(n) oratory, eloquence

defenestration-(n) throwing someone out of a window.
Here it is interesting to think that in order for some concept to enter the language and gain a foothold there, this event must happen hundreds of times ..