Definition: The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry, in contrast to its denotative (or dictionary) meanings. See Choosing the Best Words: Denotations and Connotations
Etymology:
From the Latin, "mark."Examples and Observations:
- "In the East the wilderness has no evil connotation; it is thought of as an expression of the unity and harmony of the universe."
(William Orville Douglas) - "When I with you so wholly disappear
into the mirror of your slender hand
gray streets of the city grow roses
and daisies, the music of flowers
blooms in our voices, the eye of
the grocer flares like a candle."
(Peter Meinke, "When I with You") - The denotation of the word home is simply "a place where one lives"; the connotation of home is far more complex. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes, "Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
- "The name reservation has a negative connotation among Native Americans--an intern camp of sorts."
(John Russell) - Lisa: "A rose by any other name smells as sweet."
Bart: "Not if you call them 'Stench Blossoms.'"
(The Simpsons) - "Naming of products is another spot where marketing can get in the way of success in a foreign marketplace. Just as French names add prestige to U.S. products, notably perfumes, foreign companies will often give U.S.-sounding names to their own products. Visitors to Japan, for example, are amused by a pre-moistened hand towelette called 'Pocket Wetty,' a lawn fertilizer called 'Green Piles,' 'Cow' brand shampoo, 'Shot Vision' televisions, a soup mix called 'Kitchy,' 'More Ran' tea cakes, 'Creap,' an artificial coffee creamer, and even 'Trim Pecker' trousers."
(Dave Taylor, Global Software, 1992)
Pronunciation: kon-no-TAY-shun
Also Known As: affective meaning
