Cognomen (Noun)
Meaning 1
A familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name); "Joe's mother would not use his nickname and always called him Joseph"; "Henry's nickname was Slim".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
The name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name).
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The Roman family's cognomen was Marcus, which was passed down through generations as a way to identify their lineage.
- In ancient Rome, a person's full name typically consisted of a praenomen, nomen, and cognomen, with the cognomen being the most distinctive part.
- The cognomen "Smith" has been used by many families in England and America, often originating from the occupation of blacksmithing.
- In some cultures, a cognomen can be a nickname or a reference to a person's place of origin or occupation, in addition to their family name.
- The use of cognomens became more widespread in ancient Rome as a way to distinguish between families with the same nomen, or gens name.