agnomen

[ ag-noh-muh n ]

/ ægˈnoʊ mən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR agnomen ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ag·nom·i·na [ag-nom-uh-nuh] /ægˈnɒm ə nə/.

an additional, fourth name given to a person by the ancient Romans in allusion to some achievement or other circumstance, as “Africanus” in “Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus.”Compare cognomen(def 3).

a nickname.

RELATED WORDS

alias, epithet, surname

Nearby words

Origin of agnomen

1745–55; < Late Latin, equivalent to ad- ad- + nōmen name, with alteration to ag- through influence of agnōscere; see agnize

Related formsag·nom·i·nal

[ag-nom-uh-nl] /ægˈnɒm ə nl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for agnomen

Sometimes there was also a fourth name, called the agnomen, added from some illustrious action, or remarkable event.
Roman Antiquities, and Ancient Mythology|Charles K. Dillaway
It was this slight connection with ‘the trade’ which gained for Cromwell the agnomen of ‘the brewer.’
Nineteen Centuries of Drink in England|Richard Valpy French
To counteract the confusion that would inevitably arise, an agnomen or "tee-name" is usually appended.
Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland|Daniel Turner Holmes
I was a little anxious to know whether her ladyship would honour me with an agnomen.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth

Latin authors to be registered under their nomens, except in those cases where the agnomen has been popularly adopted.
How to Catalogue a Library|Henry B. (Henry Benjamin) Wheatley

British Dictionary definitions for agnomen

agnomen

/ (æɡˈnəʊmɛn) /

noun plural -nomina (-ˈnɒmɪnə)

the fourth name or second cognomen occasionally acquired by an ancient RomanSee also cognomen, nomen, praenomen

another word for nickname

Derived Formsagnominal (æɡˈnɒmɪnəl), adjective

Word Origin for agnomen

C18: from Late Latin, from ad- in addition to + nōmen name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012