The Roots of –onym- and –nomin-

Mrs. Bruschetti’s 9th Gifted

anonymous

• Having unknown or withheld authorship or agency. Having an unknown or unacknowledged name. Lacking individuality, distinction, or recognizability. From the Greek an-, meaning “without” and onyma, meaning “name.”

cognomen

• A noun.

• A name, especially a descriptive nickname acquired through usage.

• Example: Because David’s favorite sport has been baseball ever since he saw his first game, his friends have given him the cognomen “Slugger.”

denomination

• The name of a class or group. An organized group of religious congregations. A class of units have specified values.

homonym

• One or more words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning.

• Example: Bear, meaning “to support” and bear, meaning “a large omnivorous mammal,” are homonyms, but in context they are seldom confused.

ignominy

A noun.

Great personal dishonor or humiliation. Shameful or disgraceful action, conduct, or character.

Ignominious—adj.

In colonial times wrongdoers were often subjected to the ignominy of being put into the stocks.

metonymy

• A figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something. (From the Greek meta-, meaning “changing,” and onyma)

• In the days of sailing vessels, people used metonymy when they referred to ships as “sails.”

misnomer

• A noun.

• A name wrongly or unsuitably applied to a person, place, or thing. An error in naming a person or place.

• The Thrifty Traveler is certainly a misnomer for an expensive motel.

nomenclature

• A noun.

• A system of names used in the arts and sciences.

• (From the Latin nomen and calare, meaning “to call”)

• The diagram provided the nomenclature for the parts of the cell.

nominal

• Existing in name only and not in actuality. Insignificantly small, like a nominal fee.

• The manager’s title of “consultant” was a nominal one, since his colleagues rarely asked for his opinion.

renown

• Noun.

• The quality of being widely honored or acclaimed; fame.

• Because Dr. Miller was a physicist of great renown, her advice was widely ysought by others in the field.