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eponym

[ep-uh-nim] /ˈɛp ə nɪm/
noun
1.
a person, real or imaginary, from whom something, as a tribe, nation, or place, takes or is said to take its name:
Brut, the supposed grandson of Aeneas, is the eponym of the Britons.
2.
a word based on or derived from a person's name.
3.
any ancient official whose name was used to designate his year of office.
Origin of eponym
1840-1850
1840-50; back formation from eponymous
Related forms
eponymic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
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Examples from the Web for eponym
Historical Examples
British Dictionary definitions for eponym

eponym

/ˈɛpəˌnɪm/
noun
1.
a name, esp a place name, derived from the name of a real or mythical person, as for example Constantinople from Constantine I
2.
the name of the person from which such a name is derived: in the Middle Ages, "Brutus" was thought to be the eponym of "Britain"
Derived Forms
eponymic, adjective
Word Origin
C19: from Greek epōnumos giving a significant 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
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Word Origin and History for eponym
n.

one whose name becomes that of a place, a people, an era, an institution, etc., 1846, from Greek eponymos "given as a name, giving one's name to something," from epi "upon" (see epi-) + onyma, Aeolic dialectal variant of onoma "name" (see name (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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eponym in Medicine

eponym ep·o·nym (ěp'ə-nĭm')
n.
A name of a drug, structure, or disease based on or derived from the name of a person.


ep'o·nym'ic adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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