cognomen

American  

[kog-noh-muhn] / kɒgˈnoʊ mən /

noun

plural

cognomens, cognomina

1. a surname.

2. any name, especially a nickname.

3. the third and commonly the last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, indicating the person's house or family, as “Caesar” in “Gaius Julius Caesar.”

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cognomen British  

/ kɒɡˈnəʊmɛn, -ˈnəʊ-, kɒɡˈnɒmɪnəl /

noun

1. (originally) an ancient Roman's third name or nickname, which later became his family name See also agnomen nomen praenomen

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Other Word Forms

• cognominal adjective
• cognominally adverb

Etymology

Origin of cognomen

1800–10; < Latin, equivalent to co- co- + nōmen name, with -g- on model of nōscī: cognōscī; cognition

Example Sentences

And people have continued to find it risibly apposite ever since - especially in conjunction with the equally commonplace cognomen, Will.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2015

Retief Goosen - “Goose” Our second cognomen derived from a last name, which should rank it lower on the list.

From Golf Digest • Oct. 16, 2013

Its most evocative cognomen is The Porchcrawler—one unhyphenated word, with the crunch of consonants enhancing its cinematic imagery.

From Slate • Jul. 6, 2012

It is an odd inversion of status for these masterful men, a class cognomen left over from the days when jockeys were servants of the sporting aristocracy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nell Blossom held a certain influence over him that 10 “Dick the Devil”—his boasted cognomen among his admirers—was loath to acknowledge.

From The Heart of Canyon Pass by Holmes, Thomas K.