surname
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surname
- /ˈsɜːˌneɪm/ UK
- /ˈsɝˌneɪm/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)neɪm
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English surname, a partial calque of Old French surnum, surnoun (“surname; nickname”) (whence Middle English surnoun), from Late Latin supernōmen, suprānōmen (“surname”), from super- (“over, above, beyond”) and nōmen (“name”), equivalent to sur- + name.
noun surnames · sirname · sur-name
- The portion of a person's name that is generally hereditary or treated as an indicator of a person's family, which may be shared with other members of the family, or otherwise derived from their names in some fashion; distinguished from that person's given name(s). James is my first name, and Smith is my surname.
- Synonym of epithet, an additional name, particularly those derived from a birthplace, quality, or achievement. Barsabas (whose syrname was Iustus).
- Synonym of nickname, an additional name given to a person, place, or thing, a byname. I have before declared that Baal was the Sun, and Baal Peor, a sirname, from a particular place of his worship.
- The cognomen of Roman names.
Similar: byname, cognomen, family name, last name, surname, to-name
verb surnames · surnaming · surnamed · sirname · sur-name
- To give a surname to.
- To call by a surname. “Lord,” said Sir Launcelot, “I am hight Launcelot, and am surnamed ‘He of the Lake.’”
