mononym
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mononym
First recorded in 1880–85 as a technical term in the biological and medical sciences; mono- ( def. ) + -onym ( def. )
Explanation
A mononym is a one-word name, like Madonna or Socrates. These days, most mononyms are adopted by people who were given at least two names when they were born. Early in his music career, Prince Rogers Nelson decided to change his name to a mononym, and he became famous as Prince. Other celebrities are widely known by a mononym, despite no official change to a single-word name; this is common for athletes, Bollywood stars, and artists. Egyptian pharaohs, Biblical figures, and ancient Greeks all had mononyms (think Tutankhamun, Eve, and Homer). The word mononym derives from Greek roots, monos, "single," and onoma, "name."
Vocabulary lists containing mononym
Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: nym
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nym
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To distance herself from that perpetration and the identity she had formed from it, Ensler chose to go by the mononym V. As she explains in her new book, “V is my freedom name.”
From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2023
The “Hello” and “Someone Like You” singer also prefers her mononym to her full name: Adele Adkins.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2022
Cheryl, who now uses a mononym and was previously known with the surnames Tweedy, Cole and Fernandez-Versini, has said she still cannot quite believe the death of her bandmate.
From BBC • Jul. 24, 2022
LaChanze, who uses a mononym but was born Rhonda LaChanze Sapp, received glowing reviews.
From New York Times • May 17, 2022
Just don’t go looking for Long’s name in the credits, where he’ll be billed by the mononym Vartan.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
