Necronym
/ˈnɛkrə.nɪm/noun
A name of a dead person, or a name used to refer to the dead.
Did you know?Necronym is built from Greek nekros, meaning “dead body,” plus -onym, “name,” the same ancient naming root behind hidden-word magic like pseudonym and synonym.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
nekros
“dead body, corpse”
Ancient Greek
Greek
onyma / onoma
“name”
Modern scholarly coinage
English
necronym
“a name for the dead or of a dead person”
Modern English
English
necronym
“a term used in specialized or academic contexts for a dead person’s name”