byword

American  

[bahy-wurd] / ˈbaɪˌwɜrd /

noun

1. a word or phrase associated with some person or thing; a characteristic expression, typical greeting, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   motto, slogan

2. a word or phrase used proverbially; common saying; proverb.

   Synonyms:

   maxim, adage, saw, aphorism, apothegm

3. an object of general reproach, derision, scorn, etc..

   His crimes will make him a byword through the ages.

4. an epithet, often of scorn.

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byword British  

/ ˈbaɪˌwɜːd /

noun

1. a person, place, or thing regarded as a perfect or proverbial example of something

   their name is a byword for good service

2. an object of scorn or derision

3. a common saying; proverb

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Etymology

Origin of byword

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

Example Sentences

Disappointment, worryingly for Frank, is becoming the byword for Spurs and his tenure so far.

From BBC

If Francis had a byword for his papacy, it was “mercy,” which he made the theme of a special jubilee year starting in 2015.

From The Wall Street Journal

The word Bataclan has since become a byword in France for extreme Islamist attacks, in much the same way that 9/11 did in the US.

From BBC

Vonster’s ghosting—a mere failure to appear where or when he said he would—would become a byword for all forms of social disappearance.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a lawyer and law professor, however, Gould’s scholarship about institutionalized racism in employment relations became a byword.

From Los Angeles Times