antonomastical

- 1 dictionary result

an⋅to⋅no⋅ma⋅sia

[an-tuh-nuh-mey-zhuh]

–noun

1.	Rhetoric. the identification of a person by an epithet or appellative that is not the person's name, as his lordship.

2.	the use of the name of a person who was distinguished by a particular characteristic, as Don Juan or Annie Oakley, to designate a person or group of persons having the same characteristic.

Origin:
1580–90; < L < Gk, verbid of antonomázein to call by a new name, equiv. to ant- ant- + onomat- s. of ónoma name + -ia -ia

Related forms:

an⋅to⋅no⋅mas⋅tic [an-tuh-noh-mas-tik]

, an⋅to⋅no⋅mas⋅ti⋅cal, adjective

an⋅to⋅no⋅mas⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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