Adams

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A common English family name shared by several notable people across history, politics, and the arts
2. A surname of English origin carried by many well-known individuals in American politics, photography, and literature
3. The family name of numerous prominent figures, such as statesmen and artists, borne by people across many generations

Etymology: The word "adams" as a plain noun is simply the surname "Adams," which comes from the given name Adam, with the patronymic ending "-s" meaning "son of Adam." Behind the surname lies the Hebrew name "Adam," traditionally glossed as "man" or "earth," though that etymology is contested among scholars. The most unusual sense of the word is a fishing fly, named after Charles Adams, who asked his friend Leonard Halladay to design the fly. Halladay's pattern, now a staple of trout fishing in North America, carries the angler's surname rather than any description of the insect it imitates.