cognomen
9.9
A family name in ancient Rome that shows a person's family group
- noun
- /kɒɡˈnoʊmən/
- Specialized
:
cognomen
- Julius Caesar's full name included his praenomen, nomen, and cognomen.
Examples
-
In ancient Rome, the cognomen often denoted specific family traits or characteristics.
-
The play on the idea of virtue in the artist's own cognomen of Filarete gives the inner relief the value of a signature.
Academic text (2012) -
A male cognomen.
-
Her cognomen, Aurelius, signified her descent from a notable family in the Roman Empire.
Synonyms
300
1.0
A name people in the same family share, usually after the first name
is mainly the historical Roman label for a family group within a clan
family name
vscognomen
34
1.0
The name a person shares with other family members, not the given name
is used specifically in ancient Rome to mark a family within a clan
surname
vscognomen
27
1.6
A name that people in the same family share
is the Roman term denoting a family branch inside a clan
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word cognomen comes from Latin parts co- 'together' and nomen 'name'. In ancient Rome it was an extra name used with a person's main name to show which family they belonged to, so it became the word for a surname.