cognomen
noun
cog·no·men
käg-ˈnō-mən 
ˈkäg-nə-
ˈkäg-nə-
plural cognomens or cognomina
käg-ˈnä-mə-nə
-ˈnō-
1
2
: name
especially
: a distinguishing nickname or epithet
Synonyms
Examples of cognomen in a Sentence
richly deserved the cognomen of “Butterfingers”
“Christopher Columbus” is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
Recent Examples on the Web
Part of the Tuscia — cognomen of lush forested Viterbo, crossed by the ancient Roman Francigena road and land of the Etruscans before that — Gradoli is also volcanic.
—
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021
The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard.
—NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020
Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017
Dictionary Entries Near cognomen
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognomen. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cognomen
noun
cog·no·men
käg-ˈnō-mən
ˈkäg-nə-mən
ˈkäg-nə-mən
plural cognomens or cognomina
-ˈnäm-ə-nə
-ˈnō-mə-
1
: a person's last name : surname
2
: name entry 1 sense 1
especially
: nickname entry 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share