This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
metronymic
[ mee-truh-nim-ik, me- ]
/ ˌmi trəˈnɪm ɪk, ˌmɛ- /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
derived from the name of a mother or other female ancestor.
noun
a metronymic name.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also mat·ro·nym·ic [ma-truh-nim-ik] /ˌmæ trəˈnɪm ɪk/ .
Origin of metronymic
First recorded in 1865–70, metronymic is from the Greek word mētrōnymikós “named after one's mother”
Words nearby metronymic
metro, Metroliner, metrology, metronidazole, metronome, metronymic, metrophobia, Metroplex, metropolis, metropolitan, metropolitan county
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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
Word Origin for metronymic
C19: 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