As we explained in this post, an eponym is the name of a person which has become synonymous with the thing the person has discovered, invented, or otherwise become famous for. For example, the brain disorder dementia has a common form called Alzheimer’s disease, which was named after the scientist who first identified it, Alois Alzheimer. While Alzheimer’s is spelled with a capital letter, other eponyms in the English language have lost their capitalization and become standard vocabulary words. These include quixotic (after the literary character Don Quixote), herculean (from the mythological character Hercules), and draconian (referring back to the Greek lawgiver Draco).
By studying a word’s etymology, you can find the origins of these words, and knowing who inspired the words will help you remember their definitions. The word titanic is a good example of a case where etymology will help you. In this modern era, most people connect the word to the ship Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in the early 20th century. Because of this recent use of the name, many people incorrectly assume that “titanic” means “doomed, unlucky, catastrophic.” However, the root of the word goes back many thousands of years earlier, to the giant gods of early Greek mythology, the Titans. The real definition of “titanic” is “hugely strong and powerful.”
Here are a few more eponyms you might want to learn to help you develop a strong and powerful English vocabulary:
epicurean (eh-pih-KYUR-ee-uhn) adjective
The Greek philosopher Epicurus believed that the pursuit of individual happiness was the most important thing, and could be achieved by minimizing pain and anxiety, and seeking pleasure in all things – though not overindulging in anything. An epicure is someone who selects only the finest food and drink, and who knows that the environment in which it is eaten is as important as the food itself.
gargantuan (gahr-GAHN-tyu-uhn) adjective
The French author Rabelais wrote a satirical novel about a giant child named Gargantua who was so large his cradle was an ox-cart. The word gargantuan means “huge, enormous.”
sadistic (suh-DISS-tick) adjective
The Marquis de Sade lived in 18th-century France and was famous (or rather infamous) for his lack of morality and specifically his enjoyment of other people’s pain. Someone who is sadistic gets pleasure out of watching other people suffer; this attitude has been classified as a personality disorder in many countries, and the deliberate inflicting of pain often leads – as it did in the Marquis’ case – to arrest and imprisonment.
masochistic (MASS-uh-KISS-tick) adjective
The 19th-century Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch often wrote about people (himself included) who enjoyed being made to feel pain and suffering. Masochism describes this type of wish or personality trait. These days, we sometimes use the word in a more figurative sense to refer to something that people in general usually don’t enjoy. For example, because large groups of very young children are often not someone’s first choice of company for days on end, we might say that a person who chooses a career as a nursery care provider is “masochistic” for deliberately surrounding themselves with (frequently) crying and screaming two-year-olds.