1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
richly deserved the cognomen of "Butterfingers"
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2
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"Christopher Columbus" is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
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Recent Examples of cognomen
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.
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomen
Noun
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My new nickname may as well be Passenger because Jennifer Lawrence’s pregnancy style is taking me on a journey.Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024
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Just Askin': Many Kentuckians know who the Cards and Cats are, but the origins of these rival universities' nicknames may not be common knowledge.Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Starting in 1984, Chris and Rich played with a revolving cast of band members under the band’s new moniker, Mr. Crowe’s Garden, named after the children’s book, Johnny Crow’s Garden.Charles Moss, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
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Frampton released his most recent album, Ugly, under his Slowthai moniker in 2023.Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For example, if a butterfly like Papilio glaucus were transferred to a genus with a feminine name, the epithet glaucus (masculine form) would be adjusted to glauca to agree in gender with the new genus.The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Dec. 2024
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The algorithms that underpin LLMs will by default offer up nasty or potentially harmful output such as racist epithets or instructions for building bombs, and fine-tuning from human testers is typically used to teach them behave better.Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday evening released the names of Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Erin West following forensic autopsies.Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
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Swinging the pendulum too far one way in the name of consumer protection can have unintended consequences; stifling innovation can come at the cost of protecting the consumer.Roseanne Spagnuolo, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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And while some billionaires built their success from the ground up, there are certain surnames whose appearances on lists of the world’s wealthiest individuals span generations.Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 18 Dec. 2024
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In a now-viral video, viewed over 1.6 million times, Jayla, who didn't give her surname, flashes a playful grin and adjusts her colorful sweater.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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None of these are essential to playing, especially for single-player titles, but are certainly nice-to-haves and notable by their absence.Matt Kamen, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
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On Sunday, the emerging Cardinals play for their first national title against Penn State, a powerhouse program.Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Perhaps a little unfortunate given the recent bad publicity for a couple of different criminal networks using the same Matrix nomenclature.Davey Winder, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
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Color systems date back to at least the 17th century, but in the 19th century, an ornithologist named Robert Ridgway took issue with some of the existing nomenclature of colors, according to Daniel Lewis, who authored The Feathery Tribe, a biography of Ridgway.Emma Bowman, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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