12/11/2014

alphaDictionary * Eponyms - Words from Names of People

Word Frequency Lists

Translation Services

Word Databases

Our Sponsors
Technical
Translation
Website
Translation
Clip Art

Dictionaries
Good Word
Dr. GW's Office
Fun & Games
Services
Products
Alpha Agora
Language Blog
Advertising Info
Send this Page to a
Friend!
Search Website:

SEARCH

Share this page

11
Like
Share
Tweet
Share

H A T I S A N E P O N Y M ?
An eponym as we will use the term here is an ordinary common noun derived from a
proper noun, the name of a person or place. Words like quisling, sandwich, and
silhouette are solid eponyms. Some eponymous words are still capitalized like a
proper noun, so those not capitalized are most clearly eponyms. The important,
defining property is that the word does not refer exclusively to the person or place
named by the proper noun, as does Marxism or Christian, but is used to refer to a
general category, as do quisling, boycott and fuchsias. The ability to undergo
inflection such as the plural (Pullmans) is also an indication of the strict eponymous
status of a word.

H A T I S N ' T A N E P O N Y M ?
Many lists on the Web contain phrases and words that are common phrases or
ordinary derivations. While the term eponym is often extended to such constructions,
their interpretation is usually more a matter of history than etymology, which is our
focus. This list is not competing to be the longest list of eponyms but the most
accurate in the strictest sense of the word. Beware those lists that include words
created by means that apply to any noun, that refer exclusively to the eponymous
person, or words that simply name one unique object. Pseudo-eponyms include the
following:

possessive nouns used in phrases like Occam's Razor or Newton's Law. These are
not eponyms but simple possessives no different from the dog's dinner. Also keep
in mind that an eponym is a word, not a phrase.
proper nouns used in phrases without possessives, such as Fosbury Flop, Heimlich
Maneuver, Falkland Islands, unless they no longer refer specifically to the person
whose name is used (and especially if the capitalization may be dropped), as in
the case of the compound eponym Mae West.
normal derivations created by adding productive suffixes like -ism, -ist, -esque, -ian
since these suffixes may be added to any name and simply mean "like X's
philosophy" or "in X's style" in words like Marxism, Rubinesque. However, such words
may be eponyms if they no longer refer specifically to the person whose name is
used and especially if the capitalization may be dropped, as in kafkaesque,
quixotic.
botanical and zoological names like Hoffmania, Einsteinium and Sanchezia that
are not used outside the scientific world, especially if the new term is a proper
noun itself. Scientists love to name their inventions and discoveries after
themselves and their friends but there is no need to encourage this practice.
Those derivations that have been assimilated into the general language and are
spelled without capitalization like fuchsia and gardenia are acceptable
eponyms.
simple commonizations: converting a proper noun into a common one as
occurred in the cases of escalator and aspirin, originally brand names.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

A
Word

Meaning

Eponym

afghan

A covering, a quilt
or shawl, made of
knitted or
crocheted squares.

The people of Afghanistan (Afghans).

algorithm

A set of rules or
formulae that
produces a desired
result.

al-Khowarizmi (circa 780-850), an Arabic

mathematician, born in Baghdad, who
showed that any mathematical problem, no
matter how difficult, could be solved if broken
down into a series of smaller steps (an
algorithm).

America

A large North

Amerigo

http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/eponyms/

Vespucci

(1454-1512),

an

Italian
1/3

12/11/2014

alphaDictionary * Eponyms - Words from Names of People

American nation
with its capital in
Washington, DC.

merchant and cartographer who drew some

of the first maps of the Americas. In 1507
Martin Waldseemller produced a world map
on which he named the new continent
"America" after Vespucci.

Amish

A large pacifist sect

in the US.

Jakob Ammann, 17th century Swiss Mennonite

bishop.

ammonia

A pungent
nitrogen-based gas
or liquid used
widely as a
household cleaning
agent.

Ammon or Amen, an Egyptian god of oracles

because ammonia was first obtained from a
region near the temple of Amen, in Libya.

ampere

A a fundamental
electrical unit in the
MKS (meterkilogram-second)
system of
measuring
electrical current.

Andr Mari Ampre (1775-1836), the French

physicist who first defined a way to measure
electrical current.

angstrom

A unit of
measurement
equal to one
hundred-millionth
(108 of a
centimeter).

Anders Jonas ngstrm (1814-1874), Swedish

physicist and astronomer who was one of the
founders of the science of spectroscopy.

aphrodisiac A potion that

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and

beauty.

argus

A guard or
guardian, a very
watchful person.

In Greek mythology, Argos was a giant with

100 eyes. After his death, Hera transferred his
eyes to the peacock's tail.

argyle

A pattern of knitting A former county in western Scotland where the

based on a series of Campbell family with the argyle tartan lived.
interlocking
diamond shapes.

atlas

A set of maps.

August

The eighth month of Augustus Caesar (63 BCE-14 CE), the first
the year between
Roman emperor.
July and
September.

axel

A jump with one

and a half turns in
figure skating.

arouses love or lust

in someone.

Atlas, a Titan in Greek mythology forced by

Zeus to support the heavens upon his
shoulders.

Axel Paulsen (1856-1938), Norwegian figure

skater who developed the maneuver.

Do you like our eponym glossary? You will probably like alphaDictionary's other
glossaries and lists, too.
NEW STUFF! Idiom Identification Game
Can you identify common expressions in English by a picture of their literal
meanings?
250 Commonly Confused Words
Do you confuse words that sound alike? This may be your solution.
Most Often Mispronounced Words
Are you sometimes unsure of how a word is pronounced?
Most Often Mispelled Words in English
Are you occasionally unsure of how a word is spelled and the spellchecker
doesn't help?
Sentences Made from Movie Titles
Zany thoughts in sentences made up of movie titles. A game you can play, too.
A List of Funny Company Names
Some are real, most are concocted, but all are funny. See if you can come up
with one funnier and we will publish it.
Dr. Goodword's Glossary of Quaint Southernisms
Dr. Goodword's shot at preserving the dialects of the region he comes from.
Historical Dictionary of American Slang
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/eponyms/

2/3

12/11/2014

alphaDictionary * Eponyms - Words from Names of People

A 2500 searchable dictionary of slang with dates that tell you when the slang
first appeared.

Home Language Dictionaries Specialty Glossaries Alpha Agora Translation Language Blog Miss Spelling's Center
Dr. Goodword's Office Word Fun Laughing Stock Today's Good Word Privacy Policy About Us Contact us Sponsor Us!
2004-2014 Lexiteria LLC All Rights Reserved.

http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/eponyms/

3/3