Nine Wonder Brands That Made It to the Oxford Dictionary

by Sher D Fly, Sep 5, 2007

Some of the words that we use today originated from brand names of famous products. These words have made it into the Oxford Dictionary (British version).

Hoover

hoo·ver [hoo-ver] –verb: to clean with a vacuum cleaner (Chiefly British)

It is in fact a trademark brand name of a vacuum cleaner. This brand was named after the American industrialist, William H. Hoover (1849-1942) who commercialized vacuum cleaners as one of the "must-have" household items.

Xerox

xe·rox [zeer-oks] -noun or verb: a name for a copying machine or the act of reproducing printed, written, or pictorial matter by xerography.

This is a trademark brand name for a copy machine. "Xerox" is an invented name from the word xerography which came from the Greek radicals xeros (dry) and graphos (writing), as there are no liquid chemicals involved in the copying process.

Thermos

ther·mos [thur-muhs] –noun: a vacuum bottle or similar container lined with an insulating material, such as polystyrene, to keep liquid hot or cold

This is a trademark brand name of a vacuum flask. The word is actually derived from the Greek word thermo or "hot".

Prozac

pro·zac [proh-zak] -noun: a brand of fluoxetine hydrochloride

This is a trademark brand name for a type of drug prescribed for depression. However, it is often widely used to refer to other drugs that treat similar cases of depression.

Spandex

span·dex [span-deks] –noun: a synthetic fiber composed of a long-chain polymer, used chiefly in the manufacture of garments to add elasticity

This is a trademark of a type of polyurethane fabric. However, it is also widely used to refer to other stretchy fabric material.

Jello

jell-O [jel-oh] -noun: brand of dessert made from a mixture of gelatin, sugar, and fruit flavoring, dissolved in hot water and chilled until firm

This is an American trademark brand name, i.e. Jell-O. It is also used to refer to other similar types of jelly desserts.

Tampax

tampax [tam-pax] -noun: tampon used to absorb menstrual flow

This is a trademark brand name for a tampon but it is also widely used as a generic name to refer to similar types of sanitary tampons.

Band-Aid

band-Aid [band-eyd] -noun: adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to cover minor abrasions and cuts

This is a trademark brand name, widely used to refer to other similar types of bandages.

Viagra

vi·ag·ra [vahy-ag-ruh] -noun: sildenafil citrate, used to treat impotence

This is a trademark brand name, widely used to refer to other similar types of male potency drugs. It is also said that the name comes from the word virility and Niagara.

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Comments (57)

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#1 by i like, Sep 5, 2007

i like this article. very informative.

#2 by Beatrice, Sep 5, 2007

love the pics!

#3 by Lookie, Sep 6, 2007

Good article. Keep it up!

#4 by Onflame, Sep 6, 2007

Hey, really nice article. Great work!

#5 by Brand Brandigan, Sep 6, 2007

Once again, historical perspective is trumped by "recent memory". I doubt Viagra will be seen as the common term for this class of drugs in 10 years. It should have been knocked out of this countdown by others such as Kleenex or fridge (short for Frigidaire brand refrigerators.)

#6 by dimdog, Sep 6, 2007

Thats cool...but what about Google?
There is a verb in the dictionary 'to google'...doesn't that count? ^_^

#7 by Another one, Sep 6, 2007

"fridge" short for Frigidaire? I always assumed it went from
refrigerator
refridge
fridge

I do think Kleenex should have made it, along with Ping Pong.

#8 by anonymous coward, Sep 6, 2007

You forgot "Moxie"

#9 by Overstim, Sep 6, 2007

...Or, as the Chinese call it, "ping pong".

#10 by Leroy, Sep 6, 2007

I would think Brand names like the afore-mentioned Kleenex, or Crescent Wrench (to mean a generic adjustable wrench) would make it in before the likes of Viagra and Prozac.

#11 by Maggie Q, Sep 6, 2007

Ping-pong FTW!!!

#12 by Dan, Sep 6, 2007

Tivo could be included. No matter what dvr you use, you still say "tivo" to indicate recording something.

#13 by kdkauf, Sep 6, 2007

Q-Tips
Vise-grips
Channel-locks
Jacuzzi

#14 by Edley, Sep 6, 2007

jell-o?! sorry, no1 in uk says tht. same with band-aid. there plasters! and xerox. what the hell even is tht?! (i know what it is, jus sayin!) and tampax are jus tampons.
stupid americans!!!

#15 by no name, Sep 6, 2007

This article is at least half-lame. Where I live, these words are not common: Hoover, Xerox, Prozac, Tampax, Viagra

We vacuum, make (photo)copies, take Prozac (that specific drug), use tampons, and take Viagra (that specific drug).

Kleenex and Q-Tip are far more common.

"Tivo could be included. No matter what dvr you use, you still say "tivo" to indicate recording something."
No, I don't. I say I recorded something. Tivo is a specific word for an actual Tivo.
Same goes with Google. That only applies to google.com.

#16 by Blah Blah, Sep 6, 2007

Isn't the oxford dictionary from Brittian?

#17 by Blah blaher, Sep 6, 2007

Also forgot skidoo

#18 by Malignant Tumor, Sep 6, 2007

Agreed with other posters here that Kleenex, Q-Tip, and Tivo should be on here and Prozac and Viagra should not. Tampax and Hoover are no longer in that position, but they were in previous generations, so I'll give you those.

Also, remember in the 80's when all video games were Nintendo? It didn't matter what system you played, it was called Nintendo by non-gamers. And that lasted until the Playstation. It looked like that was going to happen with the Playstation for a short time, I remember a couple of years where it seemed like playing all video games were being referred to as playing Playstion. I think the coming of the Xbox nipped that in the bud though.

#19 by Jeff, Sep 6, 2007

Aspirin was a brand name at one point, but you are also forgetting Rollerblades™. Velcro too...

#20 by Ben, Sep 6, 2007

What about Kleenex?

#21 by taco, Sep 6, 2007

the place i am originally from we call all the motorbikes honda and engine oil mobile.

#22 by John, Sep 6, 2007

I love that you have the Toronto Maple Leafs behind the VIAGARA banner ad. :D

#23 by jo, Sep 6, 2007

what about fedex? just fedex it..
or google? try googling..

#24 by John2, Sep 6, 2007

What about Magnetophon? Or Gallup?

#25 by tony, Sep 6, 2007

I noticed that before the Viagra add you see the last part of a McDonalds ad: I'm lovin it Viagra

coincidence or clever marketing?

#26 by me, Sep 6, 2007

what abot roller blades

#27 by BobOki, Sep 6, 2007

Forgot "klinex"

#28 by John Bishop, Sep 6, 2007

Trampoline should have waaaaay up there.

#29 by spiff, Sep 6, 2007

"what about fedex? just fedex it..
or google? try googling.."

FedEx isn't generic. It means to ship something via FexEx. The same goes with Google. "Google it" means to search with Google (not Yahoo or some other serach engine).

#30 by ultimate, Sep 6, 2007

what about frisbee?
Wham-o branded plastic flying disc.

#31 by vaseline_lover, Sep 6, 2007

What about Vaseline? No one says petroleum jelly do they?

#32 by dude, Sep 6, 2007

They completely forgot Kleenex (noun, any facial tissue), Fedex (verb, fast snail mail), and Google (verb, synonym for search).

#33 by Tryggvi, Sep 6, 2007

You can't leave out Bayer's Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and the engaging story of how a trademark was wrenched from the hands of the holder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin#Trademark_issues

#34 by silx, Sep 6, 2007

Pretty funny the people getting all riled up about these. Really, it's slang that varies from one geographic location to another. For example, around here Q-Tip and Kleenex are big ommisions from this list. However, elsewhere they may not be.

#35 by lather, Sep 6, 2007

'Heroin' is a trademarked brand name of Bayer's, also.

#36 by fobber, Sep 6, 2007

KLEENEX was definitely missed on this list! :)

#37 by cookie, Sep 6, 2007

I believe that the terms Kleenex, Google, Fedex and Q-tip (which are more common in America) made it to the Oxford Dictionary the American Version. Mind you the writer focussed on the British version. The suggested terms can't be found in the British version of Oxford Dictionary. In fact, Google and Fedex have made it into the list (American version) very recently (somewhere in 2006).

#38 by Bryan, Sep 6, 2007

Q-tip

#39 by frisbee freak, Sep 6, 2007

You forgot Frisbee.

#40 by ecrivan, Sep 6, 2007

I see a whole lot of people getting on board with 'you forgot'. How do they know for sure?Maybe you just wanted to limited your choices.I can be like that sometimes. Anybody mention nylon? There must be some other older ones that cold be mentioned as well as ones associated with games like yo-yo, hula hoop. People
should know the difference between a trade mark that gets into a language and others which are not common usage,just yet anyways.

#41 by yaktastic, Sep 6, 2007

It may be regional, but I'm amazed no one has brought up "jeep", though I'll admit it's been overrun by "SUV" in recent years.

#42 by FedExstaff, Sep 7, 2007

I was told by my trainer that FedEx made into the Oxford too. this article needs to be expanded. good choice of topic.

#43 by Kleenex, Sep 7, 2007

Kleenex should be #1

#44 by , Sep 7, 2007

ah geez. dumb ppl. its just an interest article. you saying "kleenex kleenex" wont change anything really. not like theyre gonna edit it. or keep it updated. just a one off article isnt it. read it, like it or not, just shush already. if you know of better examples, good on you! but just.. shush...

#45 by shivani , Sep 7, 2007

kleenex ... kleenex ... kleenex !!!

#46 by Liane Schmidt, Sep 7, 2007

Dear Sher,

This is a wonderful article. Interesting and well done.

Best wishes!

Sincerely,

-Liane Schmidt.

#47 by Liane Schmidt, Sep 7, 2007

Dear Sher,

This is a wonderful article. Interesting and well done.

Best wishes!

Sincerely,

-Liane Schmidt.

#48 by alf, Sep 8, 2007

Walkman is a dead one, every brand of portable cassette player was a (and still is) a walkman.

Just so you know, down under, we don't say the following:
Hoover (we vacuum)
Xerox (we photocopy, or we just copy if we're lazy)
We don't use Prozac or Viagra the way that the article assumes (if you use another brand, you say its name)
We use elastic over Spandex
Tampex (it's a tampon)
Jell-o (we call it jelly, nobody in their right mind calls it jello. Oh, and jam is jam, not jelly or whatever it is in the states).

We use Band-Aids to refer to any kind of adhesive bandage, and thermos as well.

Kleenex can be used to refer to any kind of tissue, but tissue is used more often.

Sharpies are never ever called Sharpies. It's either a permanent marker, or a Nikko pen. Q-Tip is never used, they're cotton-buds. FedEx is Express mail (we don't have FedEx).

An interesting Australian specific one is Eskie, which we use to refer to any cooler box, although the name is a TM and at times viciously defended by the brand owners

#49 by Darlene McFarlane, Sep 9, 2007

I found the article interesting and well put together.

Good job.

#50 by i use xerox than photocopy, Sep 20, 2007

whr i work ppl r used to say "'xerox' tht document" instead of "make copies of tht doc." I suppose tht is why ppl race to become pioneers and innovators instead of just a generic.

#51 by more, Sep 22, 2007

love this article. iwant more pls...

#52 by Uptownvisitor, Sep 22, 2007

I think more lists made it into the US Oxford dictionary.

#53 by downtown resident, Sep 23, 2007

i agree

#54 by remorsefultoo, Sep 25, 2007

entertaining....

#55 by Dram, Oct 4, 2007

well i had a good lunch

#56 by brandconscious, Oct 16, 2007

Innovative ideas and invention will go a long way

#57 by beavis909, Jun 4, 2008

Add Crocs to this list. I've owned several pairs of "knock-offs" and everyone refers to them as Crocs...and so do I. And my kids love their "real" Crocs. A great shoe. And now, a great brand.

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