eponym

ep·o·nym  (p-nm)

n.

1. A person whose name is or is thought to be the source of the name of something, such as a city, country, or era. For example, Romulus is the eponym of Rome.

2. Medicine A name of a drug, structure, or disease based on or derived from the name of a person.

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[French éponyme, from Greek epnumos, named after : epi-, epi- + onoma, onuma, name; see n-men- in Indo-European roots.]

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epo·nymic adj.

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eponym

1. the name of a real or legendary person that has been applied to a thing, institution, etc, as atlas.
2. the name of a person that is used to describe a time or period, as the Augustan Age. — eponymic, eponymous, adj.

See also: Names

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	eponym - the person for whom something is named; "Constantine I is the eponym for Constantinople" name - a language unit by which a person or thing is known; "his name really is George Washington"; "those are two names for the same thing"
	2.	eponym - the name derived from a person (real or imaginary); "Down's syndrome is an eponym for the English physician John Down" name - a language unit by which a person or thing is known; "his name really is George Washington"; "those are two names for the same thing"