The contingent meaning of –ex brand names in English

The –ex string found in English product and company names (e.g., Kleenex, Timex and Virex), is investigated to discover whether this ending has consistent meaning across coined words and to observe any constraints on its attachment and interpretation. Seven hundred and ninety-three –ex brand name types were collected and examined, derived from American English texts in the Brown and Frown corpora as well as over 600 submissions to the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Electronic Search System database (TESS); American native English speakers were also surveyed to assess interpretations of –ex meaning in brands. Analysis of these coined terms reveals that –ex meaning is contingent, reflecting assumptions by a given speaker of a referent’s domain in a given time, region and culture. Yet, despite ambiguities in its interpretation, the –ex form shows increasing use.