cognominal

cog·no·men

 (kŏg-nō′mən)

n. pl. cog·no·mens or cog·nom·i·na (-nŏm′ə-nə)

1.

a. A family name; a surname.

b. The third and usually last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, as Caesar in Gaius Julius Caesar.

2. A name, especially a descriptive nickname or epithet acquired through usage over a period of time.

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[Latin cognōmen : co-, con-, co- (influenced by cognōscere, to know) + nōmen, name; see nō̆-men- in Indo-European roots.]

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cog·nom′i·nal (-nŏm′ə-nəl) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.