Which term best describes the relationship where a body part like the nose is a part of the face?

Which term best describes the relationship where a body part like the nose is a part of the face?

• A. Meronym
• B. Holonym
• C. Hyponym
• D. Synonym

Answer: (A)

Part-whole relationships in language: when a term names a component of something, that term is a meronym of the whole. The nose is a part of the face, so the relationship is meronym. The whole would be the holonym of its parts, so the face is the holonym of the nose. A hyponym is a more specific member of a broader category, which doesn’t fit here since a nose isn’t a kind of face. A synonym would mean two terms with the same meaning, which isn’t the case. So meronym is the best description.

Part-whole relationships in language: when a term names a component of something, that term is a meronym of the whole. The nose is a part of the face, so the relationship is meronym. The whole would be the holonym of its parts, so the face is the holonym of the nose. A hyponym is a more specific member of a broader category, which doesn’t fit here since a nose isn’t a kind of face. A synonym would mean two terms with the same meaning, which isn’t the case. So meronym is the best description.