eponymous

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐπώνῠμος (epṓnumos, “concerning giving one’s name to something; named in a significant manner; surnamed”) + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting pertinence or relation).^[1] Ἐπώνῠμος (Epṓnumos) is derived from ἐπί- (epí-, prefix meaning ‘on, upon’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at; near; on”)) + Aeolic Greek ὄνῠμᾰ (ónuma) (from Ancient Greek ὄνομᾰ (ónoma, “a name”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ (“a name”), perhaps from *h₃neh₃- (“to name”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪˈpɒnɪməs/, /ɛ-/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈpɑnəməs/, /ɛ-/
• Hyphenation: ep‧o‧nym‧ous

Adjective

eponymous (comparative more eponymous, superlative most eponymous)

1. Of, relating to, or being the person or entity after which someone or something is named; serving as an eponym.

   Prince Hamlet is the eponymous protagonist of the Shakespearian tragedy Hamlet.

   Robinson Crusoe is the eponymous hero of the book.

   The language Limburgish is named after the eponymous provinces in Belgium and the Netherlands.

   • 2008, Nicholas Drayson, chapter 5, in A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, London: Penguin Books, published 2012, →ISBN, pages 24–25:

     Hadadas roost in numbers among the trees in the leafier parts of Nairobi and their eponymous call is one of the more insistent elements of the dawn chorus in that part of the world, though they may be heard at any time of the day.

   • Person definition

     An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being. (1 of 13 person definitions)

   • Entity definition

     That which has a distinct existence as an individual unit. Often used for organisations which have no physical form. (1 of 6 entity definitions)

   • Name definition

     Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing. (1 of 8 name definitions)

   • Serve definition

     An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games. (1 of 3 serve definitions)

   • Eponym definition

     A real or fictitious person or thing whose name has given rise to the name of a particular item. (1 of 3 eponym definitions)
2. Of a thing: named after a person or entity.

   The American singer-songwriter Madonna released her eponymous album in 1983.

   • Thing definition

     That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept. (1 of 24 thing definitions)

Derived terms

• eponymously

Related terms

Translations

See also

• namesake
• self-titled
• titular

References

Further reading

• eponym on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “eponymous”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.