Matronymic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌmætɹəˈnɪmɪk/

Definitions

1. A system of naming that is formed by using the mother’s name as a basis
2. A surname or identifier that references an individual's maternal ancestry
3. A personal naming method where the mother's name forms the basis of the individual's surname

Etymology: Most people who meet "matronymic" assume it is an old word for an old practice, but the sense of "name derived from a mother" is built from parts that were assembled in English, and the form itself is a compound rather than an inherited term. The core is Latin "mater" ("mother"), which reached English words such as "maternal" and "matrimony" through a different route. The second element comes from the Greek "-onym," from "onoma" ("name"), which English speakers met in words like "synonym" and "anonymous." The Greek elements passed into scientific and learned Latin, where "-onymum" took on the sense of a name formed in a particular way, and English adopted that pattern, adding "-ic" from Latin "-icus" through Old French. The result is a set of ordinary-looking words in which "patronymic," built on Latin "pater," is the older and more familiar partner. "Matronymic" was made on that same model, so it is a learned coinage, named in the same breath as its father-based counterpart.