# Word category name question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107 "2008-03-20T18:07:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/1 "2008-03-20T18:07:23Z")
A friend sent me this inquiry. I dunno, but I thought you all might: “Is there a word in English that describes a word whose connotation matches the physical appearance (not sound) of the word? Eg., short or bit. I can’t think of other examples, other than maybe megamassive” ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/2 "2008-03-20T18:51:04Z")
lowercase ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/3 "2008-03-20T19:09:15Z")
That’d be a useful additional example, but not the name of the category of words. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/4 "2008-03-20T19:11:37Z")
Do you mean visual onomatopoeia? The word looks like what it means? Cool concept, but I don’t know if there is a real word for it. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/5 "2008-03-20T19:42:51Z")
[Autological](http://www.reference.com/search?r=13&q=Autological). ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/6 "2008-03-20T19:53:38Z")
Of course, _self-descriptive_ would be clearer, but not as much fun. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/7 "2008-03-20T19:59:13Z")
I think **autological** (words that describe themselves) is the word you’re looking for. The opposite is **heterological** (words that do not describe themselves). Examples of autological words: short, polysyllabic, lowercase, English, visible Examples of heterological words: long, monosyllabic, green, Swahili, stinky There’s a [paradox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grelling-Nelson_paradox) associated with these words: Does the word “heterological” describe itself? If it does, then it is autological, and therefore does not describe itself. If it does not, then it is heterological and therefore does describe itself. (Damn you **TWDuke**!) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-category-name-question/442107/8 "2008-03-24T19:05:11Z")
Thank you! I’ll pass it on.