Editor's Corner

Hello there, folks! I hope today finds you happy, healthy, and almost ready for the weekend!

I was just looking back in my “to do” folder for Editor’s Corner and I stumbled on a cryptic note to myself: “trionym, aptronym, inaptonym.” Once I got started, I found several items we’d covered before with the suffix -nym (from Greek όνομα (onoma)—name). Most of the following definitions are from Dictionary.com, many of the examples are from my head bone, and the rest of the examples are from sites that I’ve noted.

euonym, aptronym, aptonym, charactonym

A person’s name that is well suited to the person, place or object which bears it; a person’s name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation.

Examples:

• Flora Gardener, owner of a flower shop
• William Wordsworth, the poet
• Charity for a woman who gives her time and money
• Dr. Cutt the surgeon
• Crusty Baker, the pie shop owner
• Michael Fast, an Olympic runner
• Rusty Ford, the repair shop owner

inaptonym

This one wasn’t acknowledged as a real word by most dictionaries, but I like it, so it made the cut.

A name that is poorly suited to the nature, career, or other personal characteristics of the person so named.

Examples:

• Mr. Lucky proved to be an inaptonym for a man who suffered a series of misfortunes that left him destitute and alone.
• Johnny Good was the name of the criminal arrested for the assault, battery, and murder of a dozen people.
• Mr. Black worked many jobs, always spending money until the company was in the red.
• Mrs. Fields lived on a mountain during the winter, at the desert in the spring, and by the sea in the summer.

trionym

A trionym is a name consisting of three terms. This word is mostly used to refer to scientific names. For example, modern humans may sometimes be referred to by the trionym Homo sapiens sapiens in anthropology.

So as not to tire you out, I’ll save the rest of our -nym words for Tuesday. I hope you enjoy your day.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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