Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

eponym

noun

ˈɛpəˌnɪm

Definition

A person after whom a discovery, invention, place, or literary work is named or thought to be named.

Examples

The term ‘sandwich’ is an eponym that comes from the Earl of Sandwich.
In medicine, many diseases are named after the doctors who first identified them; these are known as eponyms.
After his contributions to physics, Einstein became an eponym in the field of science.

Meaning

An eponym refers to the name of a person that is used to describe something that has been created or discovered, typically based on their contributions or characteristics.