Eponym – What Exactly Is An Eponym?? (Answers)

Answers To The Question: What Exactly Is An Eponym?

EPONYM – In this article, we will learn more about this literary device, its functions, importance, and examples.

Eponym - What Exactly Is An Eponym?? (Answers)
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Eponyms are names of a legend or a real person whom the writer associated with another person, object, or institution. In short, it can be defined as a famous person’s name given to someone else.

For example, Homer was taken from the name of his ancient epic “The Odyssey” from a major character, Odysseus. According to an article from Literary Devices, there are many TV shows, books, and films that used these eponymous characters.

Take characters like Emma, Harry Potter, and The Legend of Zelda. We can also see the use of these in literature, industry, and a spectrum of other fields.

As per the article, here are some more examples of Eponyms:

Sandwich – taken from the name of a British politician, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich.

Cardigan – was named after the British military officer James Thomas Brudenell who served as the Seventh Searl of Cardigan

Saxophone – the name came from a surname of a family from Belgium who was skilled at making musical instruments.

The functions of an eponym is similar to that of an allusion which refers to a famous person. This leads to the literary device creating a link between a reference and the thing it’s referred to.

Through this, readers are able to understand the ideas easily. Adding to this, its scope of usage is wide. We could find this in almost anywhere, even in our simple conversations.

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