| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 191.1 | | 2730::PARODI | John H. Parodi | Thu May 29 1986 15:28 | 8 |
|
If you were named after your grandmother, I think she might be your
eponym. The dictionary definition seems to lean toward "thing" rather
than "person" after which something is named, though.
JP
|
| 191.2 | Try a Different Dictionary | NERSW5::MCKENDRY | Big John | Thu May 29 1986 17:12 | 8 |
| Well, MY dictionary (New Century) states quite explicitly that an
eponym is a person from whom a tribe, place, institution, etc. takes
it name. That's how I remember it from school, too. The only examples
I can remember right offhand are the Hesperides (descendants of
Hesperus) and Atrides (descendants of Atreus). I think "eponym"
is exactly the word you need.
-John
|
| 191.3 | Namesake? | ERIS::CALLAS | Jon Callas | Fri May 30 1986 12:15 | 4 |
| There's always "namesake." I was reading Sayers a couple days ago, and
Lord Peter Wimsey mutters something about his namesake, the Apostle.
Jon
|
| 191.4 | Hedging My Bet | NERSW5::MCKENDRY | Big John | Fri May 30 1986 13:47 | 10 |
| The New Century says "namesake, n. One having the same name as
another; esp., one named after another..." So I guess it fits,
although my first reaction was that Lord Peter was having a little
joke.
Having given some further thought to what I said in .2, I think
"eponym" may not be right unless you are a tribe or institution,
not an individual. The New Century doesn't give any quotations for
"eponym". I'll check the OED when I get home, if I remember.
-John
|
| 191.5 | I'm Enjoying This | NERSW5::MCKENDRY | Big John | Fri May 30 1986 20:19 | 10 |
| A quick perusal of the OED reveals no precedent for "eponym"
as name-giver to an individual, but yields the appealing "cognominal"
for someone with the same name, albeit conveying no sense of
antecedence. "Namesake" seems to be your best bet for a single
word, but I like "forebear and cognominal".
I also checked Fowler's. He gives a nice list of eponymous names.
"Derrick" is the name of a 17th-century hangman.
-John
|
| 191.6 | "Namesake" is commutative | ERIS::CALLAS | Jon Callas | Sun Jun 01 1986 18:20 | 4 |
| I, too, checked the OED, and it gives examples of "namesake"'s use
in both directions.
Jon
|
| 191.7 | Bravo the OED | VOGON::GOODENOUGH | Jeff Goodenough, IPG Reading-UK | Mon Jun 02 1986 10:19 | 4 |
| I always use 'namesake' to mean 'having the same name'.
Jeff.
|