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eponym

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin eponymus, from Ancient Greek ἐπώνῠμος (epṓnŭmos), from ἐπί (epí, upon, epi-) + ὄνυμα (ónuma, name) + -ος (-os, suffix forming adjectives and nouns). Equivalent to epi- + -nym.

Pronunciation

Noun

More information A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up. ...

eponym (plural eponyms)

  1. A person who gave or supposedly gave their name to a people, place, institution, etc.
    Synonym: namesake
    The Greeks and Romans tended to credit nearly every location and ethnicity to a legendary eponym, Hellas to Hellen, Rome to Romulus, Egypt to Aegyptus, etc.
    Similar to the Greek eponymous archons and Roman consuls, the names of the annually appointed Assyrian limus were used for their years in office and they are accordingly also known as eponyms.
  2. Something that is named after a person.
    Synonym: namesake
  3. (sometimes proscribed) A name taken from a person, a namesake toponym, term, etc.
    Alexandria is an eponym, taken from its founder Alexander the Great.
    • 2004, Bill Sherk, 500 Years of New Words, →ISBN:
      [Mesmer] lives on today as the root of the eponym mesmerize.
    • 2015, Robert B. Taylor, What Every Medical Writer Needs to Know, →ISBN:
      For their dubious contribution to literature, Doctor Bowdler and Henrietta were recognized with the eponym bowdlerize[.]
    • 2023 June 19, Rachel E. Gross, “Should Medicine Still Bother With Eponyms?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
      An eponym was once considered medicine’s highest honor. Like monuments to great generals, they paid tribute to medicine’s most brilliant minds, ensuring their names would live on in perpetuity.
  4. (loosely, sometimes proscribed) A name or term derived from any proper noun, inclusive of places, brands, etc.
    "Tangerine" is an eponym in reference to Tangier... The unflattering eponym "shanghai" derived from the behavior of American shippers, not the Chinese themselves...
  5. (archaic) Synonym of epitome, a person taken as a symbol or quintessential representative of some trait, school, etc.
    Rockefeller became the very eponym of wealth.
  6. (archaic) Synonym of epithet, a distinguishing title.
    It was only posthumously that Julian was distinguished with the eponym "Apostate".

Coordinate terms

  • antonomasia (using an eponym as an example of some quality)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

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Czech

Czech Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia cs

Pronunciation

Noun

eponym m inan

  1. eponym

Declension

Further reading

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Slovak

Pronunciation

Noun

eponym m pers

  1. eponymous archon
    Synonym: eponymos
  2. eponym (a person who gave their name to something)

Declension

More information singular, plural ...

Further reading

  • eponym”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025
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Swedish

Noun

eponym c

  1. eponym

Declension

More information nominative, genitive ...

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