byword
[bahy-wurd]
- a word or phrase associated with some person or thing; a characteristic expression, typical greeting, or the like.
- a word or phrase used proverbially; common saying; proverb.
- an object of general reproach, derision, scorn, etc.: His crimes will make him a byword through the ages.
- an epithet, often of scorn.
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Origin of byword
Synonyms
See more synonyms for byword on Thesaurus.com1. slogan, motto. 2. maxim, apothegm, aphorism, saw, adage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for by-word
Historical Examples
The inactivity of our troops had long become a by-word among us.
The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. DidoHenry Keppel
He has now become a by-word as a hypocrite and a merciless self-seeker.
Slain By The DoonesR. D. Blackmore
The bishop had named him Isengrin, the by-word then for wolf.
Historical Tales, Vol. 6 (of 15)Charles Morris
Byron had a club foot in his mind, and so Byron is a by-word.
The Green CarnationRobert Smythe Hichens
The word had been in use so frequently that it had become a by-word among the students.
Hester's CounterpartJean K. Baird
byword
- a person, place, or thing regarded as a perfect or proverbial example of somethingtheir name is a byword for good service
- an object of scorn or derision
- a common saying; proverb
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Word Origin
Old English bīwyrde; see by, word; compare Old High German pīwurti, from Latin prōverbium proverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for by-word
byword
n.
also by-word, Old English biword "proverb," formed on the model of Latin proverbium or Greek parabole. Meaning "something that has become proverbial" is from 1530s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper