byword

[bahy-wurd]

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noun

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.

Origin of byword

before 1050; Middle English biworde, Old English biwyrde. See by¹ (adj.), word

Synonyms for byword

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1. slogan, motto. 2. maxim, apothegm, aphorism, saw, adage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for by-word

aphorism, dictum, adage, theorem, proverb, motto, axiom, maxim, epithet, style, tag, moniker, sobriquet, saying, remark, slogan, utterance, phrasing, idiom, expression

Examples from the Web for by-word

Historical Examples of by-word

The inactivity of our troops had long become a by-word among us.
The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido
Henry Keppel
He has now become a by-word as a hypocrite and a merciless self-seeker.
Slain By The Doones
R. 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 Carnation
Robert Smythe Hichens
The word had been in use so frequently that it had become a by-word among the students.
Hester's Counterpart
Jean K. Baird

British Dictionary definitions for by-word

byword

noun

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

Word Origin for byword

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for by-word

byword

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.