Eponym Definition

ĕpə-nĭm
eponyms
noun
A word or name derived from a proper noun. The words atlas, bowdlerize, denim, and Turing machine are eponyms.
American Heritage
A real or mythical person from whose name the name of a nation, institution, etc. is derived.
Sir William Penn, father of William Penn, is the eponym of Pennsylvania.
Webster's New World
A person whose name has become identified with some period, movement, theory, etc.
Webster's New World
A noun or name derived from a person's name (Ex.: Jacksonville after Andrew Jackson; seaborgium after Glenn T. Seaborg; Lou Gehrig's disease)
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Eponym

Noun

Singular:
eponym
Plural:
eponyms

Origin of Eponym

  • French éponyme from Greek epōnumos named after epi- epi- onoma, onuma name nō̆-men- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Ancient Greek ἐπώνυμος (epōnumos), from ἐπί (epi, “upon”) + ὄνυμα (onuma), Aeolic variant of ὄνομα (onoma, “name”). See -onym.

    From Wiktionary

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