I’ve been thinking about eponyms….the word was coined from two Greek words, epi, “on” and onama, “a name.”  It has come to mean the person for whom something was named:

For example, here’s a zeppelin, named for Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917), a German officer who became fascinated with balloons that could be steered and driven by power.

Here’s the Ritz Hotel named after a Swiss entrepreneur and hotelier that became a gathering place for the elite and the children of the rich.  From his name, we get the word ritzy defined as ostentatiously or vulgarly smart, luxurious, fashionable and chic.

Just to hammer home my point, here’s another eponym, a system of writing and printing for the blind, named after its inventor, Louis Braille.

I’m in the mood to make some up myself:

Clintonesque – a person with enormous, unrestrained appetites

Samsonian- A cat or other domestic creature who plots to put you in the poor-house

Marianneal– Feeling of anxiety that manifests itself with strange tremors and a need for chocolateGaga –woman inching out of middle age who tries to understand little boys  I invite you to supply me with some eponyms of your own! 

Categories: wisdom