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Definition 2024
euonymy
euonymy
English
Noun
euonymy (uncountable)
- The creation or use of self-descriptive names.
- 1998, Semiotica - Volume 122, page 121:
- Daniels's coinage 'abjad' won't glister in the annals of euonymy, but I must use it here for clarity's sake.
- 1999, Plautus, Terence, & Deena Berg, Five Comedies: Miles Gloriosus, Menaechmi, Bacchides, Hecyra and Adelphoe, ISBN 1624660053:
- He adopts for his names Greek words that either confirm the character (euonymy) or undercut him or her ironically (dysonymy), and sometimes lead to, or depend on, wordplay in the text.
- (Can we date this quote?), John Klima, Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories, ISBN 0553903713, page 370:
- Surrounded by names like those, it was little wonder that he'd found himself suited to a career in euonymy. If only there had turned out to be more naming and less strenuous diplomacy involved in the job, it would have been perfect.
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Usage notes
This term is similar to the term aptonymy, but whereas aptonymy refers to the coincidence of a name and the person who was given it, euonymy is used when the name is deliberately chosen to match the person or thing it is given to.