patronymic
(of family names) derived from the name of a father or ancestor, especially by the addition of a suffix or prefix indicating descent.
(of a suffix or prefix) indicating descent.
a patronymic name, as Williamson (son of William) or Macdonald (son of Donald).
a family name; surname.
Origin of patronymic
1Other words from patronymic
- pat·ro·nym·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby patronymic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use patronymic in a sentence
In many cases indeed there is good reason for doubting whether the name is a patronymic at all.
The unlucky individual whom she addressed with his Christian name and patronymic knew that a storm was impending.
The Precipice | Ivan GoncharovReference has already been made to the prevalence of Colombo as a patronymic in Genoa and the neighboring country at that time.
In doing so, the patronymic, which the person originating the name bore, was adopted as the surname.
A History of the City of Brooklyn and Kings County Volume II | Stephen M. OstranderBut to what class are we to refer the settlements represented by the local names with the supposed patronymic suffix?
The English Village Community | Frederic Seebohm
British Dictionary definitions for patronymic
/ (ˌpætrəˈnɪmɪk) /
(of a name) derived from the name of its bearer's father or ancestor. In Western cultures, many surnames are patronymic in origin, as for example Irish names beginning with O' and English names ending with -son; in other cultures, such as Russian, a special patronymic name is used in addition to the surname
a patronymic name
Origin of patronymic
1Collins 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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