Origins and Meaning
What inspires Tool Names
Tools are essential to daily life, but we often don’t think about where their names originate. Many, like the penknife, feel self explanatory, but others might require knowledge of foreign languages, or knowledge of niche crafts to explain their etymology.
Tools named for their function
Most tools are named for the function they carry out, think of corkscrews, can openers, and spirit levels. The names are simple, clear, and allow non-technical users to understand what a tool is for.
This trend also carries through into fictional media, where the tools a character wields become synonymous with the character themselves. The Doctor would never be seen without their Sonic Screwdriver (Doctor Who), and Lyra’s story is tied entirely to the Alethiometer (His Dark Materials).
Descriptive Names
Tools are also named after physical attributes of the items: cranes, alligator/crocodile clips, and gooseneck lamps are named for animals, whereas many clamps, hooks, and squares are named after letters of the alphabet.
Others (the iron, glasses, and sandpaper) are named after the materials they are made from.
Personalised Names
When a user becomes emotionally attached to their tool, they often give that tool a dedicated name. Musicians name instruments they grow attached to (B.B. King and his guitar Lucille, and Neil Young’s Old Black), and drivers often name their cars. These personal names show off more about the owner than the tool, which is a great way for writers to reveal secrets about their characters.