Research Article / Araştırma Makalesi Cite as/ Atıf: Evirgen, A.E. (2023). ‘Atom Karınca’dan ‘Karışık Atom’a yiyecek içecek adlarında bir anlam değişmesi örneği: Atom. Turkish Studies - Language, Ö1, 505-516. https://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.73312 Received/Geliş: 01 November/Kasım 2023 Checked by plagiarism software Accepted/Kabul: 05 December/Aralık 2023 © Yazar(lar)/Author(s) | CC BY- NC 4.0 Published/Yayın: 23 December/Aralık 2023 ‘Atom Karınca’dan ‘Karışık Atom’a Yiyecek İçecek Adlarında Bir Anlam Değişmesi Örneği: Atom From 'Atom Ant' to 'Mixed Atom' An Example of Semantic Change in Food and Beverage Names: Atom Arife Ece Evirgen * Abstract: The meanings of words may narrow, expand, or even change entirely. Semantic events can occur due to a variety of factors, including historical, social, cultural, and even direct linguistic reasons. The lexical unit "atom," defined in the Turkish Dictionary as "a particle that forms various molecules when several types are combined and a single type forms a chemical element," has gained widespread use in the food industry in recent years, appearing in both food and beverage names. This article aims to examine the usage of "atom" in food and beverages and uncover the reasons behind these names. To achieve this objective, the meanings of "atom" were examined in four authoritative Turkish dictionaries: TDK-Türkçe Sözlük, Kubbealtı Lugati, Dil Derneği-Türkçe Sözlük, and Büyük Türkçe Sözlük. Subsequently, the Turkish National Corpus was scanned to determine whether the usage of "atom" in food and beverage contexts was prevalent enough for inclusion. The analysis revealed that the word "atom" is primarily used for foods such as pepper, herbal tea, fruit juice, appetizers, kokoreç, cookies, nuts, sandwiches, desserts, and paninis. Further analysis of the naming patterns for these foods and beverages unveiled that the term "atom" is often associated with characteristics such as bitterness, small size or round shape, energizing properties, and combination of ingredients. Among these attributes, the energizing property emerged as the most common association with the "atom" name. Exploring the connection between the term "atom," typically associated with chemistry, and energy, the article investigates how this association has become deeply ingrained in our social memory, ultimately leading to its adoption in the food industry. It is concluded that the metaphorical transfer of the term "atom" to food and beverages stems from its association with size, shape, and energizing properties. Additionally, the article highlights the emergence of the "atom-power" relationship, heavily influenced by the American comic book and movie industry, primarily linked to the use of the "Atom Karınca" (Atom Ant) cartoon character to represent fast and hardworking individuals. Structured Abstract: The use of the term "atom" in food and beverage names has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. This article investigates the usage of "atom" in this context and explores the underlying reasons behind these unconventional naming practices. Employing a document analysis approach, the study delves into the various meanings associated with "atom" and examines its usage patterns in food and beverage contexts. In the Turkish Dictionary-TDK, "atom" carries three primary meanings: * Dr. Öğr. Üyesi, Gazi Üniversitesi, Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi, Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı. Asst. Prof. Dr., Gazi University, Gazi Faculty of Education, Division of Turkish Language and Literatrue Education. 0000-0002-5211-8962 a.ecetombul@gazi.edu.tr