eponymous

[ uh-pon-uh-muhs ]

adjective

1. named after the specified person, place, or thing, usually its founder, creator, inventor, discoverer, or source:

   Having made her mark designing for major brands, she is launching a new, eponymous label.

   Emperor Constantine modeled his eponymous city, Constantinople, after Rome.

2. giving one’s name to a place or thing:

   The novel’s eponymous protagonist is actually Dr. Frankenstein, not his monster.

   Romulus killed Remus and became the eponymous founder of Rome.

eponymous

/ ɪˈpɒnɪməs /

adjective

1. (of a person) being the person after whom a literary work, film, etc, is named

   the eponymous heroine in the film of Jane Eyre

2. (of a literary work, film, etc) named after its central character or creator

   the Stooges' eponymous debut album

Derived Forms

• eˈponymously, adverb

Other Word Forms

• ep·on·y·mous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of eponymous¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from Greek epṓnymos “given as a name”; ep-, -onym, -ous

Example Sentences

They featured complex politics and monstrous villains but also felt less oppressive: “Seraphina’s” eponymous hero is a musician rather than an archer, and music is at the center of the book.

From Los Angeles Times

“That image does what all great still photography does, which is suggest a narrative way beyond the frame and the subject,” observes Michael Mack, whose eponymous London publishing company made the “Song” book.

From Los Angeles Times

Set in Vietnam in 2001 and focused, ostensibly, on its two eponymous characters, this is a film about mirrored visions of history and twinned versions of desire.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2018, when he was hosting his eponymous talk show on TBS, he made fun of Trump for not watching his own impeachment hearings.

From Los Angeles Times

Alongside his eponymous establishment, Mr Blanc owns several other restaurants, hotels and food shops, as well as an inn.

From BBC

Related Words

• eponymic
• onymous