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View synonyms for autonym

autonym

[ aw-tuh-nim ]

noun

  1. Also called endonym. Anthropology. the name that an ethnic, racial, or social group uses for itself or its language: Compare exonym ( def 2 ), ethnonym ( def ).

    “Inuit” is the autonym for a large subgroup of Indigenous Arctic peoples.

  2. a person's real name: Compare pseudonym ( def ).

    To all who replied to my post—if you send me your autonyms by email I'll gladly acknowledge your help in my upcoming article.

  3. a book published under the real name of the author.
  4. Biology. a trinomial of a subspecies of animal or variety of plant whose final epithet repeats the species name, as in Homo sapiens sapiens (modern human) or Pinus nigra nigra (European black pine): automatically created for the original type the first time another subspecies is named. Compare tautonym ( def ).


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Word History and Origins

Origin of autonym1

First recorded in 1865–70; aut- + -onym
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Example Sentences

The volumes of "The Autonym Library" by any other name would be just as handy.

Autonym, aw′ton-im, n. a writing published under the author's real name.

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autonomyautooxidation