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From Brand Name To Common Name 3

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Dimandja

Programmer
Apr 29, 2002
2,720
US
These are some highlights extracted from another thread that inspired this one.

anotherhiggins said:
Xerox has come to be a word in English through sheer market strength of the company bearing its name. Even though the company doesn't dominate the copier business anymore, I think the word will remain for a while. Other words that come from brand names:

Magic Marker - This company actually went out of business several years ago, but I still use the word to describe permanent markers such a Sharpie (The heir apparent that might misplace the 'word' Magic Marker)
Palm - As in Palm Pilot. People often refer to PDAs in general as 'Palm's
Q-Tip - Perhaps the best example - in the US, anyway.
Hoover - Especially used in the UK (from my admittedly limited American knowledge)
I don't think Kodak has ever quite achieved the same status. I wouldn't us Kodak as a verb, but I have heard others do it.

I think this could be a lengthy thread unto itself.

John
sleipnir214 said:
For me, the ultimate trademarked word to become a common noun is "Aspirin".

The Bayer corporation coined and trademarked Aspirin in 1899 as the name for its acetylsalicylic acid product.

Bayer had the trademark for the word taken from it at the end of World War I. Another company, Sterling, Inc., bought the trademark from the U.S. government in 1918. By that time, many manufacturers were flooding the market, and the U.S. Federal courts ruled in 1921 that the word was a generic mark and thus unprotected. Aspirin is still a trademark in many countries, though.
stella740pl said:
I have a few examples of trademarks becoming common nouns in my native Russian. A commonly used name for all markers and felt-tip pens now is flomaster. And all disposable diapers are called pampers, where pampers is singular form, even though there is a native word for diapers - meaning more and more often only cloth diapers now.

And common name for any instant camera is Polaroid - I don't think it is still the only one?

And, of course, aspirin and xerox. An absolutely official word now for a photocopy is xerocopy (pronounced more like kserocopia - I believe it to be closer to the original greek word)

Stella
 
I'm in California. I've seldom heard anyone younger than my grandparents actually using the term "Davenport", but apparently it was once very popular.
 
My Grandparents used the word davenport; they lived in Iowa.

Wikipedia said:
Davenport is also a word used for "sofa" in certain dialects in the Midwestern United States, especially in rural areas and among older people (born pre-World War II).

Susan
"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
 
That's interesting. I had never heard the term davenport used to describe a sofa. Rather, I'd heard the word used to describe a desk -- specifically, a writing desk designed by William Davenport.

But this page says davenport has been used for sofas and desks.



Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!
 
Here in Wisconsin, davenport is commonly known, but not commonly use to refer to a sofa. Also in Wisconsin we are happy to have a Davenport (Najeh) and a Couch (Tim) on the Green Bay Packers' roster. Some people are talking about trading for Randy Moss, too, so we can have a laz-e-boy on the team as well.

Happy Friday all.
 
and nobody mentioned


Nylon
Tyvek
[/]

both trademarks from dupont de nemours

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting
 
Two more products that lost their trademark status due to generic use.
Mayoniase and kerosene.
Scotch tape is close but is closely guarded by 3M.

pc.gif

Jomama
 
I'm from Wisconsin, though not pre-WWII. My family had a davenport--a sofa that converted into a bed, the back folding down to form part of the mattress. Interesting to discover this might be a regional usage.

-LB
 
I'm born and bred in FL and a davenport is a sofa.

pc.gif

Jomama
 
Some others that seem to be headed that way (especially for the less technical):

Tivo - for digital video recorders
iPod - for portable digital music players
 
So what did Crapper mean before it meant crapper?

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)
 
It's just that names used to mean things. Son of somebody, or an occupation, or named for an event or place. Baker, Cooper, Smith, Miller, Chandler, Johnsson, Ericsson, etc. etc.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)
 
Ahhh I understand...well since there is still debate whether he was real or fiction I just don't know.

If luck prevails we may someday find out his father was a plumber.
 
ESquare said:
So what did Crapper mean before it meant crapper?
Apparently, a certain plumber named Thomas Crapper held a thriving business in England and held several plumbing related patents. One of his employees may have invented the modern toilet apparatus. The name Crapper appeared on many of those contraptions, leading to the slang crapper.

However, the word crap is most likely derived from the german or the deutsch krape/krappe.

What a coincidence, huh?
 
No no no, I knew who Thomas Crapper was and all that... I wanted to know what his name meant BEFORE it was associated with toilets.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)
 

n. Crap-per

One who throws craps.

[sub]The Non-Standard Virtual Punster Dictionary (NSVPD)[/sub]

Skip,
[sub]
[glasses] [red]Be advised:[/red] When transmitting sheet music...
If it ain't baroque, don't fax it! [tongue][/sub]
 
How about the yoyo? According to a recent article in Scientific American:

In 1932 businessman Donald Duncan bought out Flores, began widespread contests among players to generate publicity, and trademarked "yo-yo," leaving competitors with poor alternatives, like "twirler." The Duncan name eventually became synonymous with yo-yo; in 1962 the company sold 45 million toys in a country with only 40 million children. In 1965, however, a federal court ruled that "yo-yo" had become a generic term. Duncan lost his trademark protection and went bankrupt but was later bought by Flambeau Plastics, which revived the brand.

Guess he did too well!

--Chessbot
 
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