View source for Eponym

{{short description|Person or thing after which something is named}}
{{hatnote group|
{{redirect|Eponymous|the album|Eponymous (album){{!}}''Eponymous'' (album)}}
{{redirect|Self-titled}}
{{distinguish|Namesake}}
}}
[[File:Orion Head to Toe.jpg|thumb|The mythological Greek hero [[Orion (mythology)|Orion]] is the eponym of the [[Orion (constellation)|constellation Orion]], shown here, and thus indirectly of the [[Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aerospaceguide.net/spaceexploration/orion.html|title=Orion Spacecraft - Nasa Orion Spacecraft|work=aerospaceguide.net|date=15 July 2016|access-date=2 February 2013|archive-date=6 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806143308/http://www.aerospaceguide.net/spaceexploration/orion.html|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

An '''eponym''' is a [[noun]] after which or for which someone or something is named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.

Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovations, biological nomenclature, astronomical objects, works of art and media, and tribal names. Various orthographic conventions are used for eponyms.

==Usage of the word==
The term ''eponym''<ref>([[ancient Greek]] ''ἐπώνυμος'' (''a''.) given as a name, (''b''.) giving one's name to a thing or person, ''ἐπί'' upon + ''ὄνομα'', [[Aeolic Greek|Aeolic]] ''ὄνυμα'' name)</ref><ref name=OED>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/63655?redirectedFrom=eponym#eid|title=eponym, n. : Oxford English Dictionary|date=2019-10-26|website=OED Online|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026214030/https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/63655?redirectedFrom=eponym|archive-date=2019-10-26|access-date=2019-10-27}}</ref> functions in multiple related ways, all based on an explicit relationship between named people, places or things. ''Eponym'' refers to a person, a place or a thing for which someone or something is named; or that someone or something. Such things share an eponymous relationship. In this way, [[Elizabeth I of England]] is the eponym of the [[Elizabethan era]], but the [[Elizabethan era]] can also be referred to as the eponym of [[Elizabeth I of England]]. Eponyms may be named for things or places, for example [[10 Downing Street]], a building named after its street address. Adjectives and verbs may be eponyms, for example ''[[bowdlerize]]''.

Adjectives derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. When [[Henry Ford]] is referred to as "the ''eponymous'' founder of the [[Ford Motor Company]]", his surname "Ford" and the name of the motor company have an eponymous relationship. The word "eponym" can also refer to the [[title character]] of a fictional work (such as [[Rocky Balboa]] of the [[Rocky film series|''Rocky'' film series]]), as well as to '''''self-titled''''' works named after their creators (such as the album [[The Doors (album)|''The Doors'']] by the band [[the Doors]]). 

[[Walt Disney]] created the eponymous [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Company]], with his name similarly extended to theme parks such as [[Walt Disney World]].<ref name=dictionary_com_eponym>{{cite web|title=eponym|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eponym|website=Dictionary.com|publisher=Dictionary.com LLC|access-date=30 December 2014|ref=dictionary_com_eponym|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041338/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eponym|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=m-w_eponym>{{cite web|title=eponym|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eponym|website=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary|publisher=Merriam-Webster|access-date=30 December 2014|ref=m-w_eponym|archive-date=21 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421210422/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eponym|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=dictionary_com_eponymous>{{cite web|title=eponymous|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eponymous?s=t|website=Dictionary.com|publisher=Dictionary.com LLC|access-date=30 December 2014|ref=dictionary_com_eponymous|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052512/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eponymous?s=t|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=m-w_eponymous>{{cite web|title=eponymous|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eponymous|website=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary|publisher=Merriam-Webster|access-date=30 December 2014|ref=m-w_eponymous|archive-date=21 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521185005/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eponymous|url-status=live}}</ref> Medical eponymous terms are often called [[lists of medical eponyms|medical eponyms]], although that usage is [[wikt:deprecable|deprecable]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

==History==
Periods have often been named after a ruler or other influential figure:
* One of the first recorded cases of eponymy occurred in the second millennium BC, when the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] named each year after a high official (''[[limmu]]'').
* In [[ancient Greece]], the [[eponymous archon]] was the highest magistrate in [[classical Athens]]. Eponymous archons served a term of one year which took the name of that particular archon (e.g., 594 BC was named after [[Solon]]). Later historians provided yet another case of eponymy by referring to the period of [[fifth-century Athens]] as The Age of Pericles after its most influential statesman [[Pericles]].
* In [[Ptolemaic Egypt]], the head priest of the [[Ptolemaic cult of Alexander the Great|Cult of Alexander and the Ptolemies]] was the eponymous priest after whom years were named.
* The [[Hebrew Bible]] explains the origins of peoples through individuals who bear their name. Jacob is renamed "Israel" (Gen 35:9) and his sons (or grandsons) name the original [[Israelites|12 tribes of Israel]], while Edomites (Gen. 25:30), Moabites and Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38), Canaanites (Gen. 9:20-27) and other tribes (the Kenites named after Cain{{cn|date=February 2023}} (Cain's life is detailed in Gen. 4:1-16)) are said to be named after other primal ancestors bearing their name.  In most cases, the experiences and behavior of the ancestor is meant to indicate the characteristics of the people who take their name.
* In [[ancient Rome]], one of the two formal ways of indicating a year was to cite the two annual [[consul]]s who served in that year. For example, the year we know as 59 BC would have been described as "the consulship of [[Bibulus|Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus]] and [[Julius Caesar|Gaius Julius Caesar]]" (although that specific year was known jocularly as "the consulship of Julius and Caesar" because of the insignificance of Caesar's counterpart). Under the empire, the consuls would change as often as every two months, but only the two consuls at the beginning of the year would lend their names to that year.
* During the [[Christian era]], itself eponymous, many royal households used eponymous dating by [[regnal year]]s. The Roman Catholic Church, however, eventually used the ''[[Anno Domini]]'' dating scheme - based on the birth of Christ - on both the general public and royalty. The regnal year standard is still used with respect to statutes and law reports published in some parts of the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries (England abandoned this practice in 1963).
* Government administrations may become referred to eponymously, such as ''[[John F. Kennedy#Camelot|Kennedy's Camelot]]'' and ''the Nixon Era''.
* British monarchs have become eponymous throughout the English-speaking world for time periods, fashions, etc. ''[[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]]'', ''[[Georgian period in British history|Georgian]]'', ''[[Victorian era|Victorian]]'', and ''[[Edwardian period|Edwardian]]'' are examples of these.

'''Trends'''
* Political trends or movements are often named after a government leader. Examples include ''[[Jacksonian democracy]]'', ''[[Stalinism]]'', ''[[Maoism]]'', ''[[Affordable Care Act|Obamacare]]'', and ''[[Thatcherism]]''.

==Other eponyms==
* In [[intellectual property law]], an eponym can be a [[generic trademark]] or brand name, a form of [[metonymy]], such as [[aspirin]],<ref name=bayer>[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/domain/tmcases/bayer.htm Bayer Co. v. United Drug Co., 272 F. 505 (S.D.N.Y. 1921)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110908155816/http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/domain/tmcases/bayer.htm |date=2011-09-08 }}, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, accessed March 25th, 2011</ref> [[heroin]]<ref name=etymon>{{Cite OEtymD|heroin}}</ref> and [[thermos]]<ref name=fed>''King-Seeley Thermos Co. v. Aladdin Indus., Inc.'', 321 [[Federal Reporter|F.2d]] 577 ([[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|2d Cir.]] 1963); see also [http://www.core.org.cn/NR/rdonlyres/Sloan-School-of-Management/15-628Patents--Copyrights--and-the-Law-of-Intellectual-PropertySpring2003/88A3CE91-A80C-4B1A-A08C-AD975FB54DFA/0/kingseeleythermosvAladdin.pdf this PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209110437/http://www.core.org.cn/NR/rdonlyres/Sloan-School-of-Management/15-628Patents--Copyrights--and-the-Law-of-Intellectual-PropertySpring2003/88A3CE91-A80C-4B1A-A08C-AD975FB54DFA/0/kingseeleythermosvAladdin.pdf |date=2006-02-09 }}</ref> in the United States.
* In geography, places can have an eponymous name through a relationship to an important figure. [[Peloponnesus]], for instance, was said to derive its name from the Greek hero [[Pelops]]. In historical times, new towns have often been named (and older communities renamed) after their founders, discoverers, or notable individuals. Examples include [[Vancouver, British Columbia]], named after explorer [[George Vancouver]]; and [[Prince Albert, Saskatchewan]], originally called [[Isbister's Settlement]] but renamed after [[Queen Victoria]]'s [[Albert, Prince Consort|husband and consort]] in 1866.
* {{anchor|Scitech2014-09-30}}In science and technology:
** Discoveries and innovations are often named after the discoverer or a figure influential in their advance. Examples are the [[Avogadro constant]], the [[Diesel engine]], [[meitnerium]], [[Alzheimer's disease]], and the [[Apgar score]]. For a different view of the process see [[Stigler's law of eponymy]].
** In [[biological nomenclature]], organisms often receive [[scientific name]]s that honor a person. Examples are the plant ''[[Linnaea]]'' (after [[Carl Linnaeus]]), the baobab ''[[Adansonia]]'' (after [[Michel Adanson]]), and the moth ''[[Caligula (moth)|Caligula]]'' (after the Roman emperor [[Caligula]]).<ref name="beo">{{cite book |last1=Beolens |first1=Bo |last2=Watkins |first2=Michael |last3=Grayson |first3=Michael |title=The Eponym Dictionary of Birds|date=2014|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1472905741}}</ref><ref name="IDF2015">{{cite journal |last1=Hämäläinen |first1=Matti |title=Catalogue of individuals commemorated in the scientific names of extant dragonflies, including lists of all available eponymous species-group and genus-group names |journal=International Dragonfly Fund (IDF) - Report |date=2015 |volume=80 |pages=1–168 |url=http://www.dragonflyfund.org/images/reports/IDF_Report_80_Hamalainen_2015_small.pdf |issn=1435-3393 |access-date=18 September 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719092338/http://www.dragonflyfund.org/images/reports/IDF_Report_80_Hamalainen_2015_small.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>  [[Common name|Common names]] can also be named after a person.  Later, people may decide that they do not wish to memorialize a particular person, resulting in efforts to change a long-standing name.  As debating each individual name is time-consuming, the [[American Ornithological Society]] announced in 2024 that they would establish new common names for all birds in North America that had previously been named after a person, without regard to whether modern culture would judge the person well or poorly.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Birders argue over plan to change dozens of bird names |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/10/03/nx-s1-5137123/birders-argue-plan-change-birds-named-people}}</ref>
** Relatedly, [[medical terminology|biomedical terminology]] uses [[lists of medical eponyms|many eponymous terms]], and many also have noneponymous synonyms. 
** Many astronomical objects are named after their discoverer or another person.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.noao.edu/noao/staff/lauer/eponyms.html |title=Astronomical Eponyms |last=Lauer |first=Tod |publisher=National Optical Astronomy Observatory |accessdate=2021-08-22 |archive-date=2021-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822220041/https://www.noao.edu/noao/staff/lauer/eponyms.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In art:
** Plays, books, and other forms of entertainment may have eponymous names, such as the ancient Greek epic ''[[The Odyssey]]'', derived from its principal character, [[Odysseus]], and the novel ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]''.
** The term is also used in the [[music industry]], usually with regard to record titles, where it is prevalent and leads to confusion. For example, [[Bad Company (band)|Bad Company]]'s first album was entitled ''[[Bad Company (album)|Bad Company]]'' and contained a popular song named "[[Bad Company (song)|Bad Company]]". Parodying this, the band [[R.E.M.]] titled a 1988 compilation album ''[[Eponymous (album)|Eponymous]]''. One especially convoluted case of eponyms is the 1969 song "[[Black Sabbath (song)|Black Sabbath]]", named after the 1963 movie [[Black Sabbath (film)|''Black Sabbath'']]; the band that wrote the song changed their name to [[Black Sabbath]] and released it on the album [[Black Sabbath (album)|''Black Sabbath'']].
* In tribal antiquity, both in ancient Greece and independently among the Hebrews, tribes often took the name of a legendary leader (as [[Achaeus, son of Xuthus|Achaeus]] for [[Achaeans (tribe)|Achaeans]], or [[Dorus]] for [[Dorians]]). The eponym gave apparent meaning to the mysterious names of tribes, and sometimes, as in the [[Sons of Noah]], provided a primitive attempt at [[ethnology]] as well, in the genealogical relationships of eponymous originators.

==Orthographic conventions==

===Capitalized versus lowercase===
* Because [[proper nouns]] are capitalized in English, the usual default for eponyms is to capitalize the eponymous part of a term. When used as [[proper adjective]]s they are normally capitalized, for example [[Victorian era|Victorian]], [[Shakespearean]], and [[Kafkaesque]].<ref name="oxford">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=btb1AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |title=New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide|first= Anne |last=Waddingham |page=105 |publisher=OUP Oxford |date=28 August 2014 |isbn= 978-0199570027 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zbmXAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA256 |title=No Grammar Tears 1 |author= Marthus-Adden Zimboiant |pages=256–257 |isbn=9781491800751 |date=2013-08-05 |publisher=AuthorHouse }}</ref>
* However, some eponymous adjectives and [[noun adjunct]]s are nowadays entered in many dictionaries as lowercase when they have evolved a common status, no longer deriving their meaning from the proper-noun origin.<ref name="M-W_C_10" /> For example, ''Herculean'' when referring to Hercules himself, but often ''herculean'' when referring to the figurative, generalized extension sense;<ref name="M-W_C_10" /> and ''quixotic'' and ''diesel engine'' [lowercase only].<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /> For any given term, one dictionary may enter only lowercase or only cap, whereas other dictionaries may recognize the capitalized version as a variant, either equally common as, or less common than, the first-listed styling (marked with labels such as "or", "also", "often", or "sometimes"). ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'', in its section "Words derived from proper names",<ref name="CMOS_14e_pp253-254">{{cite book |author=University of Chicago |title=The Chicago Manual of Style |edition=14th |year=1993 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=0-226-10389-7 |at=[https://archive.org/details/chicagomanualofs00chic/page/ § 7.49, pp. 253–254] |title-link=The Chicago Manual of Style }}</ref> gives some examples of both lowercase and capitalized stylings, including a few terms styled both ways, and says, "Authors and editors must decide for themselves, but whatever choice is made should be followed consistently throughout a work."
* When the eponym is used together with a noun, the common-noun part is not capitalized (unless it is part of a title or it is the first word in a sentence). For example, in ''Parkinson disease'' (named after [[James Parkinson]]), ''Parkinson'' is capitalized, but ''disease'' is not. In addition, the adjectival form, where one exists, is usually lowercased for medical terms (thus ''[[parkinsonian]]'' although ''Parkinson disease''),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEW6CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |title=Grammar and Writing Skills for the Health Professional |first1= Lorraine |last1=Villemaire |first2=Doreen |last2=Oberg |publisher=Delmar Cengage Learning|edition= 2nd Revised |date=29 December 2005|isbn= 978-1401873745 |page=167}}</ref> and [[gram-negative bacteria|gram-negative]], [[gram-positive bacteria|gram-positive]] although [[Gram stain]].<ref>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emerging Infectious Diseases Style Guide.  [http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/pages/preferred-usage.htm Preferred Usage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613140506/http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/pages/preferred-usage.htm |date=2014-06-13 }}</ref> Uppercase Gram-positive or Gram-negative however are also commonly used in [[scientific journal]] articles and publications.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Through the wall: extracellular vesicles in Gram-positive bacteria, mycobacteria and fungi |author1=Lisa Brown |author2=Julie M. Wolf |author3=Rafael Prados-Rosales |author4=Arturo Casadevall |journal=Nature Reviews Microbiology |volume=13 |issue=10 |pages= 620–630 |date=2015 |doi= 10.1038/nrmicro3480 |pmid=26324094 |pmc=4860279}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |journal=Science |title=Detecting Gram-negative bacteria |date=12 June 2015 |volume=348|issue= 6240|page= 1218|doi= 10.1126/science.348.6240.1218-o |author= Kristen L. Mueller}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gram-positive |title=Gram-positive |work=Dictionary.com |access-date=2016-10-22 |archive-date=2016-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020105533/http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gram-positive |url-status=live }}</ref>  In other fields, the eponym derivative is commonly capitalized, for example, ''Newtonian'' in physics,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Newtonian |title=Newtonian |work=Merriam-Wester |access-date=2016-10-22 |archive-date=2016-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023050723/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Newtonian |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Newtonian&submit.x=19&submit.y=19 |title=New·ton |work=The American Heritage Dictionary |access-date=2016-10-22 |archive-date=2016-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022220200/https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=Newtonian&submit.x=19&submit.y=19 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Platonism|Platonic]]'' in philosophy (however, use lowercase ''platonic'' when describing love).<ref name="oxford"/> The capitalization is retained after a prefix and hyphen, e.g. ''non-Newtonian''.<ref name="oxford"/>

For examples, see the [[#Comparison table of eponym orthographic styling|comparison table]] below.

===Genitive versus attributive===
* English can use either [[genitive]] case or attributive position to indicate the adjectival nature of the eponymous part of the term. (In other words, that part may be either possessive or non-possessive.) Thus ''Parkinson's disease'' and ''Parkinson disease'' are both acceptable. Medical dictionaries have been shifting toward nonpossessive styling in recent decades.<ref name="AMAMOS2007ch16">{{Citation | editor-last= Iverson | editor-first= Cheryl| title= AMA Manual of Style | edition= 10 | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford, England | year= 2007 | isbn= 978-0-19-517633-9 | title-link= AMA Manual of Style}}, chapter 16: Eponyms.</ref> Thus ''Parkinson disease'' is more likely to be used in the latest medical literature (especially in [[postprint]]s) than ''Parkinson's disease''.

===National varieties of English===
* [[American and British English spelling differences]] may apply to eponyms. For example, British style would typically be ''[[caesarean section]]'', which is also found in American medical publications, but ''cæsarean section'' (with a ligature) is sometimes seen in (mostly older) British writing, and ''cesarean'' is preferred by American dictionaries and some American medical works.<ref>[[Medical Subject Headings|Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)]] of the [[United States National Library of Medicine|United States National Library of Medicine (NLM)]] uses [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68002585 "cesarean section"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313103733/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68002585 |date=2021-03-13 }}, while the also US-published ''Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary'' uses [http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/caesarean "caesarean"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729172715/https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/caesarean |date=2020-07-29 }}.  The online versions of the [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cesarean ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727063311/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cesarean |date=2020-07-27 }} and [http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/caesarean ''American Heritage Dictionary'']  list "cesarean" first and other spellings as "variants", an etymologically anhistorical position.</ref>

===Comparison table of eponym orthographic styling===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Prevalent dictionary styling today !! Stylings that defy prevalent dictionary styling !! Comments
|-
| abelian<ref name="M-W_C_10" /> || *Abelian || &nbsp;
|-
| Addison disease<ref name="Dorlands31">{{citation | author = Elsevier | author-link = Elsevier | title = Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary | edition = 31st | publisher = Elsevier | year = 2007 | location = [[Philadelphia]] | isbn = 978-1-4160-2364-7| title-link = Dorland's Medical Dictionary }}</ref> || *Addison '''D'''isease<br />*'''a'''ddison disease || &nbsp;
|-
| Allemann syndrome<ref name="Dorlands31" /> || *Allemann '''S'''yndrome<br />*'''a'''llemann syndrome || &nbsp;
|-
| cesarean [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />cesarean&nbsp;''also''&nbsp;cesarian&nbsp;[but&nbsp;no&nbsp;cap&nbsp;variant]<ref name="M-W_C_10">{{citation | author = Merriam-Webster | author-link = Merriam-Webster | title = Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary | edition = 10th | publisher = Merriam-Webster | year = 1993 | location = Springfield, Massachusetts, US | isbn = 978-0-87779-707-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersc00merr_3 }}</ref><br />cesarean, "often capitalized" ''or'' caesarean ''also'' cesarian ''or'' caesarian<ref name="M-W_C_11">{{citation | author = Merriam-Webster | author-link = Merriam-Webster | title = Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary | edition = 11th | publisher = Merriam-Webster | year = 2003 | location = Springfield, Massachusetts, US | isbn = 978-0-87779-809-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersc00merr_6 }}</ref>|| &nbsp; || More information on this word's orthographic variants is at Wiktionary: {{linktext|caesarean section}}.
|-
| darwinian [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />darwinism [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />Darwinian [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /><br />Darwinism [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /><br />Darwinist [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /> || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| diesel (n/adj/vi) [no cap variant]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4">{{Citation | author = Houghton Mifflin | author-link = Houghton Mifflin | title = The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language | edition = 4th | publisher = Houghton Mifflin | year = 2000 | location = Boston and New York | isbn = 978-0-395-82517-4| title-link = The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language }}</ref><br />'''and also'''<br />diesel-electric<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><br />diesel&nbsp;engine<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /><br />dieseling<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /><br />dieselize,&nbsp;dieselization<ref name="M-W_C_10" />|| *'''D'''iesel&nbsp;engine<br />*'''D'''ieseling<br />*'''D'''ieselize,&nbsp;'''D'''ieselization|| &nbsp;
|-
| draconian<ref name="AHD4" /><br />draconian ''often'' Draconian<ref name="M-W_C_10" /> || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
| eustachian [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />eustachian ''often'' Eustachian<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><br />eustachian tube [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />eustachian tube ''often'' Eustachian tube<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><br />eustachian tube ''or'' Eustachian tube<ref name="AHD4" /> || *Eustachian '''T'''ube || &nbsp;
|-
| fallopian [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />fallopian ''often'' Fallopian<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><br />fallopian tube [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />fallopian tube ''often'' Fallopian tube<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><br />fallopian tube ''also'' Fallopian tube<ref name="AHD4" /> || *Fallopian '''T'''ube || &nbsp;
|-
| Marxism [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /><br />Marxist [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /> || *'''m'''arxism<br />*'''m'''arxist || &nbsp;
|-
| mendelian [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" />&nbsp;'''or'''&nbsp;Mendelian [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><br />mendelian&nbsp;inheritance&nbsp;[only]<ref name="Dorlands31" />&nbsp;'''or''' Mendelian&nbsp;inheritance&nbsp;[only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;'''but'''<br />Mendel's laws<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="Dorlands31" /> || *'''M'''endelian '''I'''nheritance || &nbsp;
|-
| Newtonian [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /> || *'''n'''ewtonian || &nbsp;
|-
| parkinsonism [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />parkinsonian [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />parkinsonian tremor<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />Parkinson disease [only]<ref name="Dorlands31" /><br />Parkinson's disease [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /> || *'''P'''arkinsonism<br />*'''P'''arkinsonian<br />*'''P'''arkinsonian tremor<br />*'''P'''arkinsonian '''T'''remor<br />*Parkinson '''D'''isease<br />*Parkinson's '''D'''isease || &nbsp;
|-
| quixotic [only]<ref name="M-W_C_10" /><ref name="AHD4" /> || *'''Q'''uixotic || &nbsp;
|-
| Roman numerals<ref name="AHD4" /><br />roman numerals<ref name="M-W_C_10" /> || &nbsp; || AMA Manual of Style lowercases the terms ''roman numerals'' and ''arabic numerals''. MWCD enters the numeral sense under the headword ''Roman'' but with the note "not cap" on the numeral sense.<ref name="M-W_C_10" />
|}

==Lists of eponyms==
'''By person's name'''
* [[List of eponyms (A–K)]]
* [[List of eponyms (L–Z)]]

'''By category'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Adages named after people|Adages]]
* [[List of eponymous adjectives in English|Adjectives]]
* [[List of minor planets named after people|Asteroids]]
* [[Astronomical objects named after people|Astronomical objects]]
* [[Cartoon characters named after people|Cartoon characters]]
* [[Chemical elements named after people|Chemical elements]]
* [[List of colleges and universities named after people|Colleges and universities]]
* [[List of companies named after people|Companies]]
* [[List of eponymous diseases|Diseases]]
* [[List of foods named after people|Foods]]
* [[Human anatomical parts named after people|Human anatomical parts]]
* [[List of ideologies named after people|Ideologies]]
* [[List of inventions named after people|Inventions]]
* [[List of theorems|Mathematical theorems]]
* [[List of eponymous medical signs|Medical signs]]
* [[List of eponymous medical treatments|Medical treatments]]
* [[List of minerals named after people|Minerals]]
* [[Observations named after people|Observations]]
* [[List of places named after people|Places and political entities]]
* [[Prizes named after people|Prizes, awards and medals]]
* [[Scientific constants named after people|Scientific constants]]
* [[Scientific equations named after people|Scientific equations]]
* [[Scientific laws named after people|Scientific laws]]
* [[Scientific phenomena named after people|Scientific phenomena]]
* [[Scientific units named after people|Scientific units]]
* [[Sports terms named after people|Sports terms]]
* [[List of eponymous surgical procedures|Surgical procedures]]
* [[List of eponymous tests|Tests]]
* [[List of generic and genericized trademarks|Trademarks or brand names]]
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Antonomasia}}
* {{annotated link|Archetypal name}}
* {{annotated link|Demonym}}
* {{annotated link|Eponymous hairstyles}}
* {{annotated link|Ethnonym}}
* {{annotated link|Etymology}}
** {{annotated link|Lists of etymologies}}
* {{annotated link|False etymology}}
* {{annotated link|Genericized trademark}}
* {{annotated link|List of eponymous laws}}
* {{annotated link|Medical eponyms}}
* {{annotated link|Metonym}}
* {{annotated link|Name reaction}}
* {{annotated link|Pseudepigrapha}}, texts falsely attributed to and named after someone who is not the author
* {{annotated link|Stigler's law of eponymy}}
* {{annotated link|Territorial designation}}
* {{annotated link|Toponym}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q204335|c=Category:Eponyms|n=no|q=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=eponym|species=no}}

*[http://www.fun-with-words.com/nym_words.html Definitions of -nym words], at Fun-with-Words.com
*[http://www.whonamedit.com WhoNamedIt.com], a database of medical eponyms
*[https://www.bbc.com/ideas/playlists/eponyms-explored ''Eponyms explored'', BBC ideas, 2019]

{{Authority control}}
{{Personal names}}

[[Category:Eponyms| ]]
[[Category:Figures of speech]]