metronymic
[ mee-truh-nim-ik, me- ]
adjective
derived from the name of a mother or other female ancestor.
noun
a metronymic name.
Origin of metronymic
1First recorded in 1865–70, metronymic is from the Greek word mētrōnymikós “named after one's mother”
- Also mat·ro·nym·ic [ma-truh-nim-ik] /ˌmæ trəˈnɪm ɪk/ .
Words Nearby metronymic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use metronymic in a sentence
Descent henceforth was reckoned in the paternal line, and society had become patronymic instead of metronymic.
Society | Henry Kalloch Rowemetronymic, met-ro-nim′ik, adj. derived from the name of one's mother, or other female ancestor.
British Dictionary definitions for metronymic
metronymic
less commonly matronymic
/ (ˌmɛtrəˈnɪmɪk) /
adjective
(of a name) derived from the name of its bearer's mother or another female ancestor
noun
a metronymic name
Origin of metronymic
1C19: from Greek mētronumikos, from mētēr mother + onoma name
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
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