cognomen
- noun
- /kɒɡˈnoʊmən/
:
apodo
- In our family, we often use the cognomen "Red" for my grandfather because of his bright hair.
Examples
-
43. Adopting the cognomen "A.B." (which stood for Arts Bachelor)
Academic text (1991) -
That first night he started calling me Habibi, which means "my lover" in my native tongue, a cognomen that nobody ever questioned, not even his future lovers.
Academic text (2018) -
His friends affectionately call him by the cognomen "Buddy" instead of his full name.
-
During the lecture, the professor used the cognomen of each student for ease, referring to them as "Smith" and "Jones."
Synonyms
262
1.1
An informal name for a person, place, or thing that shows something about it
27
7.4
A name or nickname people use for someone
11
2.1
A special short name people use for someone they care about
2
9.5
A nickname people use that often describes how a person is
1
9.9
A friendly name used instead of a person's real name
A familiar name used instead of someone's real name
How Familiar
- Informal
11
2.1
- Informal
49
2.0
13
2.0
1
6.1
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word cognomen can also mean a familiar or informal name. It has the same parts co- 'together' and nomen 'name', so you can remember it like a 'nickname' that people use with friends, which is why it means a short or special name today.