nom de plume

noun

ˌnäm-di-ˈplüm 

plural noms de plume ˌnäm(z)-di-ˈplüm 

: 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

Example Sentences

He wrote under a nom de plume.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Known in and beyond the media sector for his decades-spanning writing career under the nom de plume Stanley Bing, Schwartz penned several best-selling books about corporate strategy, including What Would Machiavelli Do? —Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2023

Zen Pencils, the nom de plume of young artist Gavin Aung Than, has been drawing web comics based on the words of wise people. —Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2012

Graffiti artist Cyril Phan, known by the nom de plume Cyril Kongo, is famous for his exuberant paintings and mural combining vivid colors, lettering and subjects. —Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2022

Horatio Nicholls was, in fact, the nom de plume of Wright himself. —John Semley, The New Republic, 18 Nov. 2022

Hayford now got her own deal under the nom de plume Pillbox Patti, right? —Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2022

The titular portrait is figurative; our narrator, a disillusioned art critic in Buenos Aires using the nom de plume María Lydis, is investigating a mysterious figure. —Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

French, pen name; probably coined in English

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nom de plume

noun

ˌnäm-di-ˈplüm 

plural noms de plume ˌnäm(z)-di- 

: pen name

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"