Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun rare A name for an inhabitant or native of a specific place that is derived from the name of the place.
  • noun obsolete A pseudonym formed of an adjective.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek δῆμος (dēmos, "country") + ὄνυμα (onuma, "name"). Possibly coined or revived in 1997 by Paul Dickson of Merriam-Webster in a manner similar to other "nyms".

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Examples

  • But what you may not know is that a name commonly given to the residents of a place is called a demonym (from Greek demos, the people, + - nym, name).

    About.com Grammar & Composition 2009

  • Is just that the Usa didn't found a original demonym for themselves so they try to use the term American as if they were the only ones.

    Fun With Flags | Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources 2007

  • Portuguese dictionaries define the demonym latino to refer to natives of Romance-speaking nations influenced by Roman civilization, and to the natives or inhabitants of ancient Latium modern Lazio.

    Jessica Alba Glamour Magazine July 2007 2007

  • This demonym (derived from the name of the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology) was introduced by Arthur C. C.arke in his novel

    About.com Grammar & Composition 2009

  • 38 In these languages, latino, just like any other demonym, is by convention not capitalized.

    Jessica Alba Glamour Magazine July 2007 2007

  • We accept that the demonym for someone from the United States of America is American, but the country can’t simply be called “America”, there are too many other claims on that name.

    Matthew Yglesias » The Shroud of Torino 2010

  • a location poll of Viva El Birdians (note to self: come up with better demonym); what surprised me most wasn't the five votes outside the continental US but the eight votes from

    Viva El Birdos 2010

Comments

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  • Words that describe the inhabitants of a place. See this list for a bunch of examples.

    December 25, 2007

  • "And if there's one thing that the candidates want to show they really know about Indiana, it's the local demonym..." (i.e. Hoosier.)

    --Heard on NPR, in this story.

    April 19, 2008

  • demonym – a demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place; in English, a demonym is often the same as the name of the people's native language: e.g., the "French" (people from France)

    July 19, 2008