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Lecture 17

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n this lecture, we’ll explore eponyms—words named after people. The
word eponymLVDFRPELQDWLRQRIWKH*UHHNSUH¿[ep- or epi-, meaning
“on” or “upon,” and the Greek noun onuma, meaning “name.” Thus, an
eponym is a word built on someone’s name. English is replete with eponyms,
such as bloomers (named after women’s rights advocate Amelia Bloomer),
sideburns (Civil War General Ambrose Burnside), and sandwich (the fourth
earl of Sandwich). To become a true eponym, a word must acquire its own
meaning independent of the original story behind it. When that happens,
most language users aren’t even aware of the person behind the word. In this
lecture, we’ll learn about the people and stories behind eight eponyms.^1

Draconian (adjective)

Exceedingly harsh; very severe; cruel.

z In Athens of the 7th century B.C.E., justice

was largely carried out according to

oral law; personal vendettas and blood

feuds were usually the deciding factors

in determining guilt and punishment. If

someone in a family was killed, it was up to

the family—not the state—to seek justice.

z In response to this situation, the Athenian

legislator Draco set forth what was

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Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins: The Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language
Words, The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories, Chambers Dictionary of
Etymology, and the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition).
7KHZRUGsideburns
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Union Civil War
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the unusually thick
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of his face.
© Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division/ LC-DIG-ppmsca-35451.