Words that are actually company brands

[Davey944676]

A bit more about how the spelling of that карандаш-based pencil company name was chosen...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caran_d'A ... y)#History

[Dana_Dany Danuta]

Our Soviet grandmothers called sewing machines "zinger"

I will add some more history about the Singer company.

What is the history of the Singer Sewing Machine Company
https://www.singermachines.co.uk/faq/si ... story.html

Singer Corporation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer_Corporation

[jjj1jjj]

The OP mentioned "band-aids", which is pretty universal in American English. I would add "jello", which is the most common name for any kind of gelatin in the US.

There are also examples of some of these that have evolved over time. When I was young, aluminum foil was often "Reynolds wrap." But today, the generic term is dominant again. Permanent markers used to often be called "magic markers", but in the past couple of decades "sharpie" has become the default term.

[Meli578588]

Love that sewing machine !
Many seamstresses in my family ! thread I grew up with sewing machines , yarn , baskets full of buttons , needles , thimbles . You name it !

[uralicnomad]

"bobcat" a company name but is referring to any brand of skid steer front end loader Case, JCB, Gehl, Kobelco, Komatsu et all..

https://www.chicagomotorcars.com/imaget ... -Steer.jpg

[MoniqueMaRie]

Now that I see the bobcat I remember "bulldog" in Germany. When I was a child I didn't know any other word for an tractor (today it's "Traktor").
https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bulldog

For those who do not want to translate the German article:

Origin:
from Lanz Bulldog®, a type of tractor from the first half of the 20th century.

[Davey944676]

"tarmac" is from "tarmacadam" which was a trademark. Around the UK and Ireland that's the general term for "asphalt", the sticky black road surface. Canada uses the word too, apparently.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tarmac#English

Wiktionary suggests that the word "tarmac" is only commonly used around the UK, Ireland and Canada, but I've heard (I assume native) people in other places use the term. However, it does mention that "tarmac" is used in French airports in the same way as in English, i.e somewhere where tthe planes are parked up "on the tarmac".

[Deleted User 4833]

Many folks are not aware that the word "aspirin" was originally a trademarked name for the medicine acetylsalicylic acid.

[Manex]

Russian word for a railway station (вокзал) is a transliteration of Vauxhall - a locomotive maker

I think this word comes from the Vauxhall town in England and not from the company brand...

https://londonist.com/2015/10/vokzal

Anyway, it is really curious and interesting the origin of some words.

[Manex]

As a curiosity in Spain we have the word "michelín" that comes from the tire’s maker company.

I don't know its translation in English but it means "a fold of fat in one part of the body, especially around the waist", that is, like the dummy of the company brand...

[MoniqueMaRie]

As a curiosity in Spain we have the word "michelín" that comes from the tire’s maker company.

I don't know its translation in English but it means "a fold of fat in one part of the body, especially around the waist", that is, like the dummy of the company brand...

In one of the last winters, winter jackets were in fashion, which I always called Michelin man jackets...

[Chrisinom]

[mention]JudieLC[/mention] This example shows one of the mechanisms that turn brand names into parts of the language. It's not just clever marketing but also the fact that languages tend to simplify expressions. A word like Acetylsalicylsäure is too difficult. The same thing with google: It's much easier to say "I'll google that" instead "I'll look that up in the search engine."

[Deleted User 4833]

@JudieLC This example shows one of the mechanisms that turn brand names into parts of the language. It's not just clever marketing but also the fact that languages tend to simplify expressions. A word like Acetylsalicylsäure is too difficult. The same thing with google: It's much easier to say "I'll google that" instead "I'll look that up in the search engine."

It's not such clever marketing, though, cause the companies whose brand name turns into the common name for the product often end up losing their trademarked name. That's what happened with the word aspirin.