Renoun

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make widely known and celebrated for notable achievements or qualities
2. To cause someone or something to become famous and honored throughout the world
3. To establish a widespread reputation for excellence or distinction

Etymology: Renown is, at root, a matter of being named over and over. It comes from Old French "renom", meaning fame, which was built from "renomer", "to make famous" or "to proclaim", a verb combining the intensifying prefix re- with "nomer", "to name". That verb descends from Latin "nominare", the source of English "nominate", so fame was once understood as a name repeated until everyone knows it. English took the noun in the Middle Ages, with Anglo-Norman spellings such as "renoun" alongside the form that became standard. "Renoun" itself survives mainly as an older spelling, and it appears in Middle English texts both as a noun for fame and as a verb meaning to make famous or to celebrate. The "-own" ending was likely influenced by English words like "town" and "crown", which share that spelling. The verb's later use faded, leaving "renowned" as the only common form.