onomastics

1936, from the adjective onomastic (“of or belonging to naming”) (1716) with a suffix -s, from French onomastique, from Ancient Greek ὀνομαστικός (onomastikós), from ὀνομαστός (onomastós, “named”), form of ὀνομάζω (onomázō, “I name”), from ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ (“name”) (whence English name).[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɒ.nəʊˈmæs.tɪks/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɑː.noʊˈmæs.tɪks/, /ˌɑː.nəˈmæs.tɪks/

• Audio (US)

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onomastics pl (plural only)

1. The branch of lexicology devoted to the study of names and naming, especially the origins of names.

   Synonym: onomatology

   Hypernyms: lexicology, (in sense of “origins”) etymology

   Hyponyms: anthroponymy, toponymy