cognomen

[ kog-noh-muhn ]

noun

, plural cog·no·mens, cog·nom·i·na [kog-, nom, -, uh, -n, uh].

1. a surname.
2. any name, especially a nickname.
3. the third and commonly the last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, indicating the person's house or family, as “Caesar” in “Gaius Julius Caesar.” Compare agnomen ( def 1 ).

cognomen

/ kɒɡˈnəʊmɛn; -ˈnəʊ-; kɒɡˈnɒmɪnəl /

noun

1. (originally) an ancient Roman's third name or nickname, which later became his family name See also agnomen nomen praenomen

Derived Forms

• cognominal, adjective
• cogˈnominally, adverb

Other Words From

• cog·nom·i·nal [kog-, nom, -, uh, -n, uh, l, -, noh, -m, uh, -], adjective
• cog·nomi·nal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cognomen¹

1800–10; < Latin, equivalent to co- co- + nōmen name, with -g- on model of nōscī: cognōscī; cognition

Word History and Origins

Origin of cognomen¹

C19: from Latin: additional name, from co- together + nōmen name; influenced in form by cognōscere to learn

Example Sentences

And so our narrator, with the concealing cognomen “Jane Smith,” holds down a well-paying job as a security analyst, probing the defensive systems of corporate clients for weaknesses.

From Washington Post

The dating is based on the lettering style of the inscription and the presence of a cognomen, a sort of inherited ancestral nickname that until the first century B.C. only appeared in the names of very prestigious individuals.

From National Geographic

Marcus Novius' cognomen, tubula, means "small trumpet" in Latin.

From National Geographic

They used a praenomen or personal name; a nomen, or family name, which “has the same placement as a middle name but has a different function”; and a cognomen, which, she says, was a nickname indicating an attribute or, eventually, what branch of a family you were from.

From Time

“That was the sign I was descended from Aesculapius, the god of medicine. I took my cognomen, my third name, Reticulus, because it meant undergarment, to remind me of the blessed day when a chicken stole my loincloth.”

From Literature