byword

[bahy-wurd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR byword ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of byword

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

SYNONYMS FOR byword

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR byword ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for byword

It was a ghastly tragedy that rattled a nation and became a byword for anti-Semitism in France.
A Horror Story of True-Life Anti-Semitism in France|Tracy McNicoll|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At a time when “right to work” has become a byword for union-busting, this is radical indeed.
12 Ways Catholicism is More Radical Than Pope Francis|Nathan Schneider|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Syndicated columnist Dan Savage even campaigned to turn “santorum” into a byword for sexual waste as revenge.
Was Rick Santorum Right About Polygamy After All?|Justin Miller|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
By Leo Mirani Drones have a terrible reputation, mostly because they have become a byword for death and destruction.
Google Invests in Drone Company Airware|Quartz|May 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Has it not made him, glorious as he is despite of it, a byword in the mouths of every schoolboy?
Eugene Aram, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
In all parts of the country the "Carmen Kiss" became a byword.
Charles Frohman: Manager and Man|Isaac Frederick Marcosson and Daniel Frohman
By camp-fires and on the march, in prison and in hospital, Carey the journalist had become a byword for coolness and endurance.
The Tidal Wave and Other Stories|Ethel May Dell
Each in his turn domineered over his doting master, and made himself a byword for insolence and self-seeking.
A History of England|Charles Oman
For years the names of oil king and iron master have been a hissing and a byword among the hot-heads in America.
The Iron Puddler|James J. Davis

British Dictionary definitions for byword

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 byword

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.