euonymy

English

Etymology

eu- +‎ -onymy

Noun

euonymy (uncountable)

1. The creation or use of self-descriptive names.
   • 1998, Semiotica - Volume 122, page 121:

     Daniels's coinage 'abjad' won't glister in the annals of euonymy, but I must use it here for clarity's sake.

   • 1999, Plautus, Terence, & Deena Berg, Five Comedies: Miles Gloriosus, Menaechmi, Bacchides, Hecyra and Adelphoe, →ISBN:

     He adopts for his names Greek words that either confirm the character (euonymy) or undercut him or her ironically (dysonymy), and sometimes lead to, or depend on, wordplay in the text.

   • 2007, John Klima, Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories, →ISBN, page 370:

     Surrounded by names like those, it was little wonder that he'd found himself suited to a career in euonymy. If only there had turned out to be more naming and less strenuous diplomacy involved in the job, it would have been perfect.

Usage notes

This term is similar to the term aptonymy, but whereas aptonymy refers to the coincidence of a name and the person who was given it, euonymy is used when the name is deliberately chosen to match the person or thing it is given to.