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Showing results for patronymic. Search instead for patronymics.
Synonyms

patronymic

American  
[pa-truh-nim-ik] / ˌpæ trəˈnɪm ɪk /

adjective

  1. (of family names) derived from the name of a father or ancestor, especially by the addition of a suffix or prefix indicating descent.

  2. (of a suffix or prefix) indicating descent.

noun

  1. a patronymic name, as Williamson (son of William) or Macdonald (son of Donald).

  2. a family name; surname.

patronymic British  
/ ˌpætrəˈnɪmɪk /

adjective

  1. (of a name) derived from the name of its bearer's father or ancestor. In Western cultures, many surnames are patronymic in origin, as for example Irish names beginning with O' and English names ending with -son; in other cultures, such as Russian, a special patronymic name is used in addition to the surname

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a patronymic name

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • patronymically adverb

Etymology

Origin of patronymic

1605–15; < Late Latin patrōnymicus < Greek patrōnymikós equivalent to patrṓnym(os) patronymic ( patri-, -onym ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Genealogist Calum MacNeil said patronymic names were popular when he was growing up in Nask, a small community in Barra.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2025

But citizens over the age of 18 can choose to swap the patronymic for a matronymic based on the name of the mother.

From Reuters • Jul. 4, 2023

“This is exactly what we were doing, Dmytro Volodymyrovych,” she addressed him respectfully, with his patronymic.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2022

Cedillo responded, “I bet it ends in i-a-n,” referring to the traditional patronymic in Armenian surnames.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2022

It may be that Mrs. Stowe has given the use of this patronymic as a baptismal name an impulse, but it had been so used long before she herself was born.

From Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature by Bardsley, Charles W.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.