ˈepəˌnim noun
( -s )
Etymology: Greek epōnymos, from epōnymos eponymous
1. : one for whom or which something is named or supposedly named : name giver: as
a. : the usually mythical ancestor or totem animal or object that a social group (as a tribe) holds to be the origin of its name
it is now the opinion of biblical scholars that … the grandchildren of Noah are tribal eponyms — A.R.Wagner
b. : an Assyrian official whose name was used in chronology of the period 893-666 B.C. to designate his year of office — called also limmu
2.
[influenced in meaning by English -onym ]
: a name derived from the name of an eponym
taking the name of the totem animal as an eponym — M.J.Herskovits
the eponym “Weil's disease” assumes that Weil was the first to describe the disease accurately