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Discuss Email this Feedback RSS/XML Permalink A.Word.A.Day--charactonym 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 first play, 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. X-Bonus An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it. -Don Marquis, humorist and poet (1878-1937)

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