Wordsmith
Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:45:28 -0700
charactonym (KAR-ik-tuh-nim) noun A name of a fictional character that suggests the personality traits of that character. [From English character, from Greek charakter (marking or engraving tool) + -onym (name).] Example: Mrs. Malaprop in Richard Sheridan's novel The Rivals. She was known for misusing words with humorous results. From mal- (bad) + apropos (fitting). A related word is aptronym, a name that's especially suited to one's profession, e.g. Sally Ride, the astronaut. "The easy-going Lovewit lives up to his charactonym; he enjoys a good joke, and condones mischief when it is clever and profitable to himself." Kenneth Muir, et al; Shakespeare Survey: Volume 22; Cambridge University Press; 2002. This week's theme: words about words. Sponsors' Messages: Natural knowledge enhancement! One unique, at-a-glance email a day is fuel for brain cells grey. http://knowledgenews.net/s?s=aw092205 Survey Central - Get Paid to Complete Online Surveys - Start Now! http://www.surveycentral.com/?kbid=1033 ............................................................................ An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it. -Don Marquis, humorist and poet (1878-1937) Forensic Linguistics: Discuss the role of language in the world of crime and justice, in a live chat with Roger W. Shuy, forensic linguistics expert, professor, author: Nov 7, 2005, 7 PM Pacific (GMT -7) http://wordsmith.org/chat Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/charactonym.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/charactonym.ram Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/charactonym.html This message was sent to "archive@mail-archive.com".