matronymic Hear it!

matronymic definition

mat·ro·nymic (ma′trə nim′ik)

adjective

of or derived from the name of the mother or a female ancestor

Etymology: < Gr mētrōnymikos, altered by assoc. with L mater (gen. matris), by analogy with patronymic

noun

a matronymic name

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.