Word.ws English Dictionary

idionyms

idionyms is the plural of idionym.

Meaning of idionym

Noun

idionym (plural idionyms)

  1. A word that refers to one specific anatomical part.
    • In fact, this term, as coined and defined by me, is now an idionym, applicable to but a single part of the brain.1896, The journal of comparative neurology, page 221
  2. A mononym.
    • Before 1066, each individual was identified by a single, distinctive name (an idionym). This contrasts very strongly with the present-day system of naming, which consists of at least two components, a ‘first-name’ plus a surname ‘denoting a patrilinear family group’.1995, Ann Williams, The English and the Norman conquest, page 207
  3. (dated) A specific epithet; the name of a species.
    • Haworth's idionym “v-flava” has been changed to “v-flavum,” despite its acceptance, with explanation of derivation, by the Entomological Societies of Oxford and Cambridge […]1907, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, page 1014

Questions about idionyms

What is idionyms the plural of?
Idionyms is the plural of idionym.

Words near idionyms in the dictionary

  1. idiomotion
  2. idiomotor
  3. idioms
  4. idiomuscular
  5. idionym
  6. idionyms
  7. idiopath
  8. idiopathetic
  9. idiopathetically
  10. idiopathic
  11. idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: idionyms (page history and authors); idionym (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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