onomasticon

English

WOTD – 16 June 2007

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀνομαστικόν (onomastikón), neuter form of ὀνομαστικός (onomastikós, “belonging to names”), from ὀνομάζω (onomázō, “I name”), from ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”).

The term onomastikón (collection of names, from ὄνομα/ónoma, ‘name’) describes learned works that are not arranged alphabetically but juxtapose synonyms and terms relating to the same semantic field. This principle of ordering is very old (it was already known in Near Eastern culture in the 2nd millennium BC; Lists) and undoubtedly was the most common one up to the Augustan period. Source: Onomastikon — Brill

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɒ.nəʊˈmæs.tɪ.kən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɑː.noʊˈmæs.tɪkən/, /ˌɑː.nəˈmæs.tɪkən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

onomasticon (plural onomasticons or onomastica)

1. A book, list, or vocabulary of names, especially of people.

   We looked up the origin of her name in an onomasticon.

Related terms

• onomastic
• onomastics

Translations

lexicon of personal names

• Polish: onomastykon m

References

• NED VII (O, P; 1st ed., 1909), § 1 (O), page 129/1, “‖Onoma·sticon”

Anagrams

• monocations

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀνομαστικόν (onomastikón) or French onomasticon.

Noun

onomasticon n (plural onomasticoane)

1. onomasticon

Declension

Declension of onomasticon

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) onomasticon	onomasticonul	(niște) onomasticoane	onomasticoanele
genitive/dative	(unui) onomasticon	onomasticonului	(unor) onomasticoane	onomasticoanelor
vocative	onomasticonule		onomasticoanelor