eponymy

[ uh-pon-uh-mee ]

noun

1. the derivation of names from eponyms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of eponymy¹

First recorded in 1860–65, eponymy is from the Greek word epōnymía surname, derived name. See eponymous, -y ³

Example Sentences

As we have seen, eponymy in geography is very rare before the naming of America, and America remained an exception in being named after a commoner.

From Literature

This was during the "heyday" of medical eponymy - naming diseases after people - and many major diseases are now known for the person who discovered them.

From BBC

In the eponymy of Maḫdê, of the city of Nineveh, To....

From Project Gutenberg

Like the idea of discovery itself, eponymy was soon carried over from geography into science.

From Literature

More About Eponymy

What does eponymy mean?

Eponymy is the use of people’s names to create words.

In other words, eponymy is the use of eponyms—words based on people’s names.

The names of many places are eponyms. For example, the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is named after the father of the state’s founder, William Penn.

Eponymy is common in medicine: the names of many diseases, procedures, and other things are eponyms. They are often based on the person who first described them or researched them. Examples of medical eponyms include Alzheimer’s disease (named for German neurologist Alois Alzheimer) and the Heimlich maneuver (named for U.S. physician H. J. Heimlich).

Some eponyms are adjectives. Some are based on real people, such as Shakespearean, Freudian, and Kafkaesque, while others are based on imaginary characters, such as Faustian and quixotic.

The word eponym can also refer to the person whom something is named after. Walt Disney is the eponym for The Walt Disney Company.

The adjective eponymous is used to describe someone who has given their name to something or has had something named after them.

Example: Many birders object to the use of eponymy in naming birds.

Where does eponymy come from?

The first records of the word eponymy come from the 1860s. It comes from the Greek word epōnymía, meaning “surname,” or “derived name.” Ep- means “over” or “after,” the Greek -onym means “name.”

Eponymy is used to name all kinds of things. It’s common in the naming of places, such as streets, cities, states, and even countries. It’s also common in science and mathematics. The principle known as Stigler’s law of eponymy states that scientific eponyms usually don’t accurately reflect who discovered something or first described it.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to eponymy?

• eponym (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with eponymy? 

• eponymous
• onymous
• homonym
• anonym
• pseudonym

What are some words that often get used in discussing eponymy?

• name
• place
• word
• medical
• scientific
• author
• writer
• founder
• creator
• inventor
• namesake

How is eponymy used in real life?

Eponymy is commonly used in the sciences and in the naming of places.

‘According to (the ironically-named) Stigler’s Law of Eponymy, no scientific term is named after its original discoverer.’ #CrohnnotCrohn’s https://t.co/sNzkK2Kize

— Alan Moss MD (@moss_md) May 21, 2020

TIL: Some anatomists revolted against the practice of eponymy (attaching names to body parts eg Fallopian tube) during late 19th century.

Ironically, one the greatest rebels was Friedrich Henle, after which a whole string of eponyms are based on.

— Leonard Javier ✊ #HealthForAll ⌬ (@STPbasileo) May 7, 2020

The "heyday" of medical #eponymy, #symptomatology https://t.co/dCC27ZZqV4

— Tim Flanagan (@imKopfetschirpt) November 29, 2015

 

 

Try using eponymy!

Is eponymy used correctly in the following sentence?

Medical eponymy is experiencing a reckoning due to the use of names of doctors with ties to Nazism.