(no subject)

[lollardfish]

So I'm writing about a guy called Robert of Jerusalem. He's called "of Jerusalem" because he brought stuff back from Jerusalem. What are names/titles like "of Jerusalem" called? There's a term for it but I cannot remember it.

Comments

[mia-mcdavid.livejournal.com]

Are you thinking of 'byname'?

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

I think perhaps "epithet" is the word you're thinking of. I googled for definitions of "byname" and that was one of the synonyms that came up, and the Wikipedia article it linked to included examples like "Richard the Lionheart".

These days, of course, the term has acquired specifically negative connotations, but apparently that's not how it used to be used.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Sobriquet?

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

How about "epitheton"? It's really just another word for "epithet," but lacks, I think, the negative connotations of the latter.

Or "cognomen"?

[pied-piper70.livejournal.com]

How 'bout "kumquat"?

Okay, really, it's not the word you're looking for, but it's really fun to say...

Go ahead...say it: Kumquat!

See? Your day's looking better already...

[pameladean]

I wanna say "genitive of origin," but I don't think that actually applies to English.

P.