eponymous

[uh-pon-uh-muhs]

adjective

1. named after the specified person, place, or thing, usually its founder, creator, inventor, discoverer, or source.

   Having made her mark designing for major brands, she is launching a new, eponymous label.

   Emperor Constantine modeled his eponymous city, Constantinople, after Rome.

2. giving one’s name to a place or thing.

   The novel’s eponymous protagonist is actually Dr. Frankenstein, not his monster.

   Romulus killed Remus and became the eponymous founder of Rome.

eponymous

/ ɪˈpɒnɪməs /

adjective

1. (of a person) being the person after whom a literary work, film, etc, is named

   the eponymous heroine in the film of Jane Eyre

2. (of a literary work, film, etc) named after its central character or creator

   the Stooges' eponymous debut album

Other Word Forms

• eponymously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of eponymous¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from Greek epṓnymos “given as a name”; ep-, -onym, -ous

Example Sentences

Kigali, the eponymous climb of Rwanda’s capital city, punctuated by a cobblestoned sector—Kwa Mutwe—so steep it was a chore to walk, never mind pedal.

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Glass and Henry Steagall, his sometime rival in the House, passed their eponymous bill, which broke up National City and other banks that had stock-trading operations.

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Produced by David Beckham’s production company, Studio 99, “Victoria Beckham” inevitably paints its eponymous subject in a flattering light, doubling down on her characterization as an “underdog” from a working-class family.

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It’s also been an intimate window into the conflicted inner life of the show’s eponymous host.

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With 18 million views on YouTube, the punky boom-bap “Duh!” from its eponymous release barely had a chance to cool when they announced their latest album ‘‘Ex,” which they released last Friday.

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Related Words

• onymous 

When To Use

What does eponymous mean?

Eponymous is used to describe someone who has given their name to something or has had something named after them, as in I met the eponymous owner of Sally’s Restaurant at the farmer’s market yesterday. Eponymous can also be used to describe works of art that are named after their creator or lead fictional character, as in In Robinson Crusoe, the eponymous lead character lives alone on a deserted island for 28 years. Eponymous is a fancy word used to describe things (restaurants, books, movies, etc.) that are named after a person. One of the more common uses of eponymous is in articles or stories about the history of something that’s named after a person who is still alive or involved. For example, Walt E. Disney created his eponymous company, The Walt Disney Company.Eponym refers to the person something is named after. The Amazon tribe, a mythical Greek tribe, is the eponym of the Amazon River in South America.Example: The movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows stars the eponymous detective in his most dangerous case yet!