eponym: Meaning and Definition of

ep•o•nym

Pronunciation: (ep'u-nim), [key]
— n.
  1. a person, real or imaginary, from whom something, as a tribe, nation, or place, takes or is said to take its name: Brut, the supposed grandson of Aeneas, is the eponym of the Britons.
  2. any ancient official whose name was used to designate his year of office.
  3. a word based on or derived from a person's name.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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