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stranger
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stranger
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Are eponyms, as in today's word, Boswell, capitalized or not? Today's word in not capitalized in the subject field, but is in the example. When to cap, when not to?
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,706 |
Hi Suzan...good question.
My understanding is that because an eponym is derived from a persons name and names (as proper nouns) are given a capital
letter...so to the eponym.
But I have noticed more and more that people are dropping the capital letter especially when the eponym has become so common place that it stands alone. Think diesel engine.
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journeyman
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journeyman
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The Lone Haranguer
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963 |
I think you're on the right track, Candy. Upper or lower case for an eponym is largely a matter of personal preference, but it also depends on how great the remove from the source. I think it would be difficult to refer to a boswell without a mental nod to James of that name, but a fleet of diesels can roll down the road without anyone giving a thought to Rudolf. How many athletes routinely dress in a jersey with no awareness of the island from which it takes its name? There may be strong opinions on the capitalization question, but I doubt that it can be boiled down to a rule.
Peter
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2011
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9/27 today's eponym is 'Quisling'. The date of his life is (1887-V1945). What does the 'V' stand for? Thanks
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
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The date of his life is (1887-V1945). What does the 'V' stand for?
Looks like a typo, possibly having to do with copy and pasting.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Oh yeah--I've typed many a V from hitting Shift instead of Ctrl.
I found this on a Wikipedia page--didn't bother to check verifications:
Main article: Quisling
During World War II, the word quisling became synonymous with traitor.[148] The term was coined by the British newspaper The Times in its leader of 15 April 1940, entitled "Quislings everywhere." The editorial asserted,
To writers, the word Quisling is a gift from the gods. If they had been ordered to invent a new word for traitor... they could hardly have hit upon a more brilliant combination of letters. Aurally it contrives to suggest something at once slippery and tortuous.[149]
The noun has survived and for a while during and after World War II, the back-formed verb to quisle (pronounced /ˈkwɪzəl/) was used. One who was quisling was in the act of committing treason.[150]
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old hand
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