Lecture 28: Specialty Words for Language
ż +RZHYHU ODQJXDJH XVHUV WRGD\ DUH PRUH OLNHO\ WR ÀLS WKLV
GH¿QLWLRQXVLQJeponym to mean the word or name derived
IURPDSURSHUQRXQ8VLQJWKLVGH¿QLWLRQbowdlerize is the
eponym, derived from the name Bowdler.z Another interesting eponym is boycott, which means to abstain
from buying or using something. The source of this word was
Charles Boycott, the land manager for an absentee landlord in
County Mayo, Ireland. Boycott refused to lower rents to Irish tenant
farmers in 1880, which was a poor year for harvests. In response,
the locals organized a campaign to shun Boycott: Workers refused
to harvest his crops, businessmen would not trade with him, and
even the local postman would not deliver his mail. This type of
protest and the word itself quickly spread across Europe and even
into non-European languages.z The word guillotine is also an eponym. Of course, a guillotine is a
device for decapitating criminals, but believe it or not, guillotines
were actually developed as a more humane way of executing
people. The word comes from the name of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin,
a French physician who proposed that a machine might deliver a
quicker and less messy death than an executioner with a broadax.z Grundyism is an eponym that means a prudish adherence to
conventionality, especially in personal behavior, or a display of
excessive modesty. The word comes from Mrs. Grundy, an unseen
character in a play written by Thomas Morton called Speed the
Plough. The character was known for her extreme prudishness,
particularly in matters of sexual morality.Toponym (noun)- A place-name.
- A word named after a place.
z We’ve already encountered a few toponyms in our lectures,
including billingsgate. As you recall, this word came from the