What is a retronym? Provide an example.

• A. A retronym distinguishes a new version from older form, e.g., 'acoustic guitar' after electric guitars exist.
• B. A retronym is a word borrowed from another language.
• C. A retronym is a word with multiple senses.
• D. A retronym is a phrase created to fill a lexical gap.

Answer: (A)

Retronyms are labels created after a newer version of something has appeared, so the older form gets a special name to distinguish it from the newer one. The descriptor is added to make clear which version is being talked about. A classic example is “acoustic guitar”—after electric guitars became common, people started calling the original guitar the acoustic guitar to set it apart from the electric. Other everyday retronyms include “analog clock” after digital clocks became widespread, and “landline” to differentiate from mobile phones. These terms aren’t about borrowing from another language, they don’t hinge on multiple senses of a word, and they aren’t invented merely to fill a lexical gap; they’re created to identify the original version once a newer one exists.