Noun
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eponym (plural eponyms)
- A person who gave or supposedly gave their name to a people, place, institution, 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.
- A noun for something named after a person.
- (archaic) Synonym of epitome, a person taken as a symbol or quintessential representative of some trait, school, etc.
- (archaic) Synonym of epithet, a distinguishing title.
It was only posthumously that Julian was distinguished with the eponym "Apostate".
- (sometimes proscribed) A name taken from a person, a namesake toponym, term, etc.
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.
- (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...
Coordinate terms
- antonomasia (using an eponym as an example of some quality)
Translations
person's name that has given rise to the name of something