byword
noun
- a familiar saying; proverb
- a person or thing proverbial for some quality
- an object of scorn or ridicule
- a favorite or pet word or phrase
See byword in American Heritage Dictionary 4
also by-word (bīˈwûrdˌ)
nouna. A proverbial expression; a proverb.
b. An often-used word or phrase.
- One that represents a type, class, or quality: “Polyester got its déclassé reputation in the 1970s after cheap, poorly made double-knit leisure suits became a byword for bad taste” (Fortune).
- An object of notoriety or interest: The eccentric poet was a byword in literary circles.
- An epithet.
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