nom de plume

noun

plural noms de plume ˌnäm(z)-di-ˈplüm How to pronounce nom de plume (audio)
: a name that a writer uses instead of his or her real name : pseudonym, pen name
Under her nom de plume, [Stacey] Abrams, 44, has published eight romantic thrillers …Dartunorro Clark
A woman's name on a book practically guarantees marginalization—which is why so many geniuses, from the Brontë sisters to George Sand and George Eliot, chose to use male noms de plume.Erica Jong

Examples of nom de plume in a Sentence

He wrote under a nom de plume.
Recent Examples on the Web The illustrator Fei Wang, who goes by the nom de plume Mr. Slowboy, presents a book cataloging his work for heritage brands such as Dunhill, Barbour and Drake’s, as well as illustrations for magazines, and portraits of friends and industry luminaries. Alexander Freeling, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2021 If Thompson had been an unconventional candidate for sheriff, Oscar Acosta, with the nom de plume ‘the Brown Buffalo,’ was even more so. Rory Feehan, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023 Graffiti artist Cyril Phan, known by the nom de plume Cyril Kongo, or just his street name, Kongo, has become an international star, famed for combining vivid colors, lettering and subjects ranging from fireworks to flowers in exuberant paintings and murals. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2022 Beirut, the nom de plume of indie-folk singer-songwriter Zach Condon, travels to remote Norway and returns with Hadsel, his first new album in four years. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023 Polly Jean Harvey has reactivated her nom de plume PJ Harvey for her first new album in seven years, I Inside the Old Year Dying. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Apr. 2023 Ingram said his nom de plume was meant to shield his identity as a former member of the Force Research Unit, the undercover British organization that ran Stakeknife as a mole. Alan Cowell, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Apr. 2023 The Detroit native, whose sweets-invoking nom de plume was inspired by a childhood stint as a bake-sale maven, raps in a hushed, almost jokey tone, which makes his grim lyrics — about pissing on the opposition’s graves, when not outright blowing off their heads — sound both seductive and scary. Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2022 Chou, 35, was inspired — and enraged — by the strange case of Yi-Fen Chou, the nom de plume assumed by a middle-aged white poet from Indiana named Michael Derrick Hudson, who hoped that a Chinese name would improve his chances of finding a publisher for his poems. New York Times, 13 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nom de plume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, pen name; probably coined in English

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nom de plume was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near nom de plume

Cite this Entry

“Nom de plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nom%20de%20plume. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nom de plume

noun
plural noms de plume ˌnäm(z)-di- How to pronounce nom de plume (audio)
Etymology

a phrase believed to have been made up in English as a French translation of pen name; from French nom "name" and de "of" and plume "(the) pen"

More from Merriam-Webster on nom de plume

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!