Definition of EPONYMOUS

Did You Know?

It's no coincidence that "eponymous" has to do with naming - it comes to us from the Greek adjective epōnymos, which is itself from onyma, meaning "name." "Onyma" has lent its name to a number of English words, including "synonymous," "pseudonym," and "anonymous." Traditionally, an eponymous person or thing (i.e., an "eponym") might be a mythical ancestor or totem believed to be the source of a clan's name. Today, however, "eponymous" more typically refers to such individuals as the front man of "Theo's Trio" or the owner of "Sally's Restaurant" (Theo and Sally, respectively, of course). The things that are named for such name-providers are also "eponymous." For example, we can speak of "the eponymous 'Ed Sullivan Show'" as well as "the eponymous Ed Sullivan."

Examples of eponymous in a Sentence

… Ramayana, an Indian epic which chronicles, in sixty thousand verses, the adventures of its eponymous hero Rama … — Leila Hadley, Give Me the World, (1958) 1999 "Cool Britannia," which goes back to Ben and Jerry's eponymous ice cream in Spring 1996, met its sell-by-date within weeks … — Harold Perkin, Times Literary Supplement, 18 Dec. 1998 Karen Hubert Allison, the eponymous (if you count middle names) creator of Hubert's, didn't know she was making dining history … — Peter Kaminsky, New York Times Book Review, 11 May 1997

Recent Examples on the Web

According to The Cut, Bell filmed the video at the after-party Vogue threw for the 10th anniversary of Beckham's eponymous fashion label. — Emily Wang, Glamour, "Victoria Beckham Fist-Pumping to 'Spice Up Your Life' Is the Best Thing You'll See Today," 17 Sep. 2018 Dyson Sir James Dyson and his eponymous company, best known for its vacuums, have in recent years made waves in the beauty world with the futuristic-looking Dyson hair dryer. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "Dyson’s new $500 golden hair dryer, explained," 29 Aug. 2018 Fisker recently started another eponymous car company — this time called Fisker, Inc. — that is focused on all-electric vehicles. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Electric cars could use another big battery breakthrough — this CEO says he’s got it," 16 Aug. 2018 The house was built in 1904 for John Shaffer Phipps, whose father Henry rose from poverty to become the partner of Andrew Carnegie in the eponymous steel company that helped build America—and their twin fortunes. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "Live Like Jay Gatsby With a Weekend Visit to This Jazz Age Mansion in Nassau County," 24 July 2018 On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported the first daughter, and special assistant to the president, was shutting down her eponymous clothing and shoe company. — Megan Friedman, Town & Country, "The Rise and Fall of Ivanka Trump’s Fashion Line," 24 July 2018 On Saturday, with the help of Darren Julien and his eponymous auction company, the black dress of Monroe’s fetched $50,000 for the cause. — Katherine Rosenberg-douglas, chicagotribune.com, "Marilyn Monroe dress sells for $50,000, buys time for Lincoln Foundation," 24 June 2018 The fashion industry vet, who sold her eponymous company in 2006, then returned to the design spotlight two years ago with her accessories line Frances Valentine, was born Katherine Brosnahan on December 24, 1962, in Kansas City, Missouri. — Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE.com, "Kate Spade's Lasting Legacy: Inside the Designer's Trailblazing Career and Private Pain," 12 June 2018 With a baby on the way in 2017 and this current year marking the 20th anniversary of her eponymous company, Brenner decided to move when a larger 1,600-square-foot suite became available in the same building. — Jessica Ritz, latimes.com, "A DTLA jewelry designer's studio and showroom get a shining makeover," 26 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eponymous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.