Dave Wilton - 30 April 2011 02:38 AM
Skeuonym?
Although skeuo- is from the Greek for “vessel, implement” (betraying the term’s archeological root). So it doesn’t work etymologically. But then again, etymology is not destiny.
For me, it could be force-fit, taking “vessel” in a metaphorical sense, referring to words as such carrying “meaning,” perhaps? I could live with “skeuonym.” I would likely remember “skew-o-nym” as a helpful and slightly humorous mnemonic device. I see “skeuonym” used on the internets with boldness, though it does not appear at etymonline.com. Kevin Kelly may have coined the word in his recent book, What Technology Wants.
Considering that most common clock displays are digital these days and that this may be the trend for the foreseeable future, wouldn’t “clockwise” and “counter-clockwise” likely become good examples of “skeuonyms?” Maybe more things related to the analog clock-face will pass from everyday use.
I notice that some arithmetic thinking in modulo 12, 24, and 60 ("clock-math" or “clock arithmetic") is easier for me because of the analog clock-face experience I have grown up with. For others, it is not so easy.
For example: say that a certain process has to run for 16 hours, then be checked and a determination made whether to stop or continue the process. If it’s 10:00 AM, and I calculate quickly and easily say, “So, we’ll need to check this tomorrow at 2:00 AM,” to some, it seems like magic.