— cognominal /kog nom"euh neuhl, -noh"meuh-/ , adj. — cognominally , adv.
/kog noh"meuhn/ , n. , pl. cognomens, cognomina /-nom"euh neuh/ .
1. a surname.
2. any name, esp. a nickname.
3. the third and commonly the last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, indicating the person's house or family, as "Caesar" in "Gaius Julius Caesar." Cf. agnomen (def. 1).
[ 1800-10; co- CO- + nomen name, with -g- on model of nosci: cognosci; see COGNITION ]