metronymic

American  

[mee-truh-nim-ik, me-] / ˌmi trəˈnɪm ɪk, ˌmɛ- /

Also matronymic

adjective

1. derived from the name of a mother or other female ancestor.

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noun

1. a metronymic name.

metronymic British  

/ ˌmɛtrəˈnɪmɪk /

adjective

1. (of a name) derived from the name of its bearer's mother or another female ancestor

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noun

1. a metronymic name

Etymology

Origin of metronymic

First recorded in 1865–70, metronymic is from the Greek word mētrōnymikós “named after one's mother”

Example Sentences

Her forehand was clean and metronymic, her backhand powerful and poised.

From The New Yorker

Descent henceforth was reckoned in the paternal line, and society had become patronymic instead of metronymic.

From Project Gutenberg

Among many tribes of the North American Indians this metronymic or maternal system was peculiarly well-developed.

From Project Gutenberg

The Iroquois Indians, among whom Morgan lived, were a typical maternal or metronymic people.

From Project Gutenberg

Strictly speaking, therefore, there has never been a matriarchal stage of social evolution, but rather a maternal or metronymic stage.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• last name