I. ˈfām noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fama; akin to Greek phēmē utterance, report; derivative from the root of Latin fari to speak, Greek phanai to say, phōnē sound — more at ban
1.
a. : public estimation of a person or thing : reputation
ought to … inquire into her former and present fame — John Chamberlayne
b. : general recognition for outstanding achievement : popular acclaim : glory , renown
fame is the thirst of youth — Lord Byron
c. : recognition of an unfavorable kind : notoriety
achieved fame … when its school board became the first in the state to require a loyalty oath from the officers of all organizations seeking to use the school facilities — David Clinton
2. archaic : common talk : rumor
and the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house — Gen 45:16 (Authorized Version)
Synonyms:
notoriety , reputation , repute , celebrity , é clat , honor , renown , glory : in this set fame is a general term used to indicate a state of being quite widely known. It is likely to be favorable in its connotations but, perhaps more than any of the accompanying words, may be qualified widely
he still shines when the light of his successors is fading away; they had celebrity, Spinoza has fame — Matthew Arnold
fame is proof that people are gullible — R.W.Emerson
notoriety , sometimes still neutral in its suggestions and indicating the fact of being widely known, is likely to suggest being widely known for evil, shameful, reprehensible, or eccentric behavior
if the occupation of steamboats be a matter of such general notoriety that the court may be presumed to know it — John Marshall
that brilliant, extravagant, careless Reverend Doctor Dodd who acquired some fame and much notoriety as an eloquent preacher — Havelock Ellis
reputation usually suggests the commonly circulated and accepted judgment of one's character; unmodified, it may suggest a quite good reputation, a measure of fame on some particular account
the downfall of his first political reputation following the disaster of the Dardanelles expedition — New Republic
he went on writing war poetry and gained a good deal of reputation as one of our soldier poets — Rose Macaulay
repute may suggest high esteem
the repute which a classical Latin style and the ancient classics had aquired in Renaissance Italy — G.C.Sellery
celebrity in this sense may suggest sudden fame and widespread popularity which may turn out to be ephemeral
there was a time in London when no one could afford to say he had not read the Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, but that was in the spring of 1820, and the season of celebrity was often quite as short then as it is today — H.V.Gregory
é clat in this sense may suggest a certain suddenness whereby something becomes well known or a certain brilliancy or flashiness in its reputation
this letter was sprung, with great éclat, in public hearing — New Republic
consider what luster and éclat it will give you … to be the best scholar, of a gentleman, in England — Earl of Chesterfield
honor in this sense indicates widespread fame and esteem through achievement or position
wherever the bright sun of heaven shall shine, his honor and the greatness of his name, shall be, and make new nations — Shakespeare
admirals all, for England's sake, honor be yours and fame — H.J.Newbolt
renown means much the same as honor; it may imply additional acclaim
filled with a nation's praise, filled with renown — Alfred Tennyson
glory is the strongest and most complimentary word in this group; it suggests lasting, extreme, and deserved fame
there he [Washington] lived in noble simplicity, there he died in glory — Edward Everett
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English famen, from fame, n.
1. : to report, consider, or repute — usually used in passive
the fancy cannot cheat so well as she is famed to do — John Keats
2.
a. : to make famous or renowned — usually used in passive
an inn … that was famed for its corn bread — American Guide Series: Maryland
b. obsolete : to make notorious or infamous
foes enough would fame thee in their hate — Ben Jonson
III.
Scotland
variant of foam