288. Names

acronym

a word formed from the initial letters or syllables taken from a group of words that form the name of a company, product, process, etc. —acronymic, acronymous, adj.

agnomen

Ancient Rome. an additional name, usually given in honor of some signal achievement; hence, a nickname. —agnominal, adj.

allonymy

a name of one person used by another, such as a writer using the name of someone other than himself for concealment of identity or other purpose. Cf. pseudonym. —allonymous, adj.

anthroponymy

a branch of onomastics that studies personal names. —anthroponymist, n.

antonomasia

1. the use of an epithet or appellative for an individual’s name, as his excellency.

2. the use of a proper name to express a general idea or to designate others sharing a particular characteristic, as a Rockefeïler. —antonomastic, adj.

biosystematics

biosystematy. —biosystematic, biosystematical, adj.

biosystematy

the science of the classification of living things. Also biosystematics. —biosystematic, biosystematical, adj.

caconymic

pertaining to a bad or objectionable name.

cognomen

1. Ancient Rome. the third and usually last name in Roman personal names, as Caesar of Gaius Julius Caesar.

2. a surname or family name.

3. a nickname. —cognominal. adj.

cryptonym

a secret name.

eponym

1. the name of a real or legendary person that has been applied to a thing, institution, etc, as atlas.

2. the name of a person that is used to describe a time or period, as the Augustan Age. —eponymic, eponymous, adj.

eponymism

the derivation of names for tribes, nations, or places, from that of a person, whether real or imaginary. Also eponymy. —eponymous, eponymic, adj.

eponymist

a real or legendary person whose name has been used as an eponym.

euonym

a name that is apt or fitting.

filionymic

Rare. a name derived from that of a son.

hypocorism

1. the creation or use of pet names, as Dick for Richard.

2. a pet name.

3. baby talk. —hypocoristic, adj.

matronymic

metronymic.

metonymy

a rhetorical or stylistic device in which one thing is named or referred to by the name of another, related thing; for example, the use of White House in referring to the presidential administration. —metonym, n. —metonymous, metonymie, metonymical, adj.

metronymic, matronymic

a name derived from a mother or a female ancestor. Cf. patronymic .

nomancy

onomancy.

nomenclature

1. a system of names used in the classification of an art or science or other field or subject.

2. a naming system peculiar to a social group. See also 53. BOOKS ; 83. CLASSIFICATION ; 236. LANGUAGE ; 290. NATURE .

onomancy, onomomancy

a form of divination involving the letters of a name. Also called nomancy .

onomasticon

a dictionary of proper names. —onomastic, adj.

onomastics

onomatology. —onomastician, n. —onomastic, adj.

onomatology

the science or study of the origin and forms of proper names. Also called onomastics. —onomatologist, n. —onomatological, adj.

onomatomania

a preoccupation with words or names.

onomatophobia

an abnormal fear of a certain name or word.

onym

Biology. a technical name, as one that forms part of a system of nomenclature or classification.

onymy

the application of onyms; classification or systematic nomenclature.

organonymy

the nomenclature of organs. —organonymal. organonymic, adj.

paedonymic

a name derived from one’s child.

patronomatology

Rare. the tracing of the origins of personal names.

patronymic

a name derived from a father or paternal ancestor. Cf. metronymic .

poecilonymy

the simultaneous use of several names or synonyms for one thing.

polyonymy

the use of various names for one thing. —polyonymous, adj.

pseudonym

a nom de plume or fictitious name, especially one used by an author to conceal his identity. Cf. allonymy. —pseudonymous, adj.

sobriquet, soubriquet

a nickname.

tautonym

a botanical or zoological name in which two terms are combined, the generic name and the specific, with both being the same. (a practice no longer approved by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.)

toponym

1. a place name.

2. a personal name derived from a place name.

toponymy

1. the study of the place names of a district.

2. Anatomy. the nomenclature of the regions of the body. —toponymie, toponymical, adj.

trinomialism

the use of three terms or names in the classification of a species, genus, variety, etc. —trinomial, n., adj.

trionym

a trinomial or name composed of three terms.

typocosmy

Rare. a universal system of nomenclature or classification.

names Most Hebrew personal names in the Bible are compounds which begin or end with the divine name Yahweh, such as Jehoshaphat, ‘Yahweh establishes justice’, or Joel, ‘Yahweh is God’. Many names of towns and villages were also compounds with the name of God—Bethel, ‘house of God’—or compounded with the place's reputation—Bethlehem ‘house of food’. Some places preserved their ancient Canaanite name (e.g. Megiddo; Zech. 12: II), while others were changed by new rulers, as when Herod renamed Samaria as Sebaste. The forms -iah and Jo- are derived from the divine name Yahweh.

Some personal names are changed, indicating the authority of the one who effects the change: Jacob to Israel (Gen. 32: 28), Simon to Peter (Mark 3: 16). The latter was an unexpected change and it indicated that the very human Simon was to be a ‘rock’, for Peter = Cephas, Aramaic for ‘rock’, and under this new name he takes his place in history.