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 Words From

• 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

Shears went on to thank his family, friends, collaborators — and the show’s eponymous evangelist, whose life rights John and his husband, David Furnish, acquired 12 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times

One of the remedies she wants to talk about today is a tree-planting and habitat restoration mission that her eponymous foundation and non-profit technology company, Ecosia, are carrying out in Uganda.

From BBC

NAR leaders see Pennsylvania as “the holy seed of a government,” with a reverse-engineered version of the state's eponymous founder, William Penn, at its core.

From Salon

From the moment the eponymous family of “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh” sets foot in the United States we can see their immigration journey will be defined by patience and understanding – theirs, and for Americans.

From Salon

Later, Anthony Comstock’s crusade to pass the eponymous “anti-obscenity” measures through Congress followed.

From Salon

Related Words

• eponymic
• onymous

More About Eponymous

What does eponymous mean?

Eponymous is used to describe someone who has given their name to something or has had something named after them, as in I met the eponymous owner of Sally’s Restaurant at the farmer’s market yesterday. 

Eponymous can also be used to describe works of art that are named after their creator or lead fictional character, as in In Robinson Crusoe, the eponymous lead character lives alone on a deserted island for 28 years. 

Eponymous is a fancy word used to describe things (restaurants, books, movies, etc.) that are named after a person. One of the more common uses of eponymous is in articles or stories about the history of something that’s named after a person who is still alive or involved. For example, Walt E. Disney created his eponymous company, The Walt Disney Company.

Eponym refers to the person something is named after. The Amazon tribe, a mythical Greek tribe, is the eponym of the Amazon River in South America.

Example: The movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows stars the eponymous detective in his most dangerous case yet!

Where does eponymous come from?

The first records of eponymous come from 1840. It comes from the Greek word epṓnymos, which means “giving name.” Ep- means “over” or “after,” the Greek -onym means “name,” and the ending -ous makes it an adjective.

Eponymous can be used in two ways. It can be used to refer to the person who a thing is named after, as in The Batman series of comic books stars the eponymous caped crusader. And it can be used to refer to the thing named after a person, as in Batman is the main character in the eponymous superhero comic book series. 

Eponymous isn’t used with just artwork, however. It can be used for other items as well: Michael Jordan wore a pair of his eponymous Air Jordan sneakers.

Titular is another term that can be used to refer to a person a title is named after: In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we meet the titular hero for the first time.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to eponymous?

• eponymously (adverb)

What are some synonyms for eponymous?

• onymous

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

• eponym
• eponymy
• homonym
• anonymous
• pseudonymous

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

• name
• founder
• creator
• inventor
• book
• company
• film

How is eponymous used in real life?

Eponymous is used when a person or fictional character is mentioned with something named after them.

Thanks to the eponymous, Oscar-winning movie, Erin Brockovich has become, as she describes it, “a kind of reporting agency for suspected disease clusters and environmental issues around the country”https://t.co/eF8fy9Ffcr

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 14, 2020

Only just caught up with 2005's Capote in which Philip Seymour Hoffman played the eponymous writer. What a fine, extraordinary actor he was!

— David Treadway (@datreadway) July 5, 2017

TIL the actor who played “Potsie” on “Happy Days” is the nephew of Dr. Henry Heimlich, the inventor of the eponymous maneuver

— brian braiker (@slarkpope) August 21, 2017

 

 

Try using eponymous!

Is eponymous used correctly in the following sentence?

Enzo Ferrari was the founder of the eponymous luxury car company that bears his name.