Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A work containing words or names, with their explanation, arranged in alphabetical or other regular order; a dictionary; a vocabulary.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A collection of names and terms; a dictionary; specif., a collection of Greek names, with explanatory notes, made by Julius Pollux about a. d. 180.

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

  • noun A book, list, or vocabulary of names, especially of people.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a list of proper nouns naming persons or places

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ὀνομαστικόν (onomastikon), neuter form of ὀνομαστικός (onomastikos, "belonging to names"), from ὀνομάζω (onomazō, "I name"), from ὄνομα (onoma, "name").

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Examples

  • My only fear is that the book will be culled, since no one ever uses an onomasticon, but I think Wallingford keeps it because it looks expensive and obscure enough to reassure visiting parents that their kids are learning genius-type stuff.

    White Cat Holly Black 2010

  • My only fear is that the book will be culled, since no one ever uses an onomasticon, but I think Wallingford keeps it because it looks expensive and obscure enough to reassure visiting parents that their kids are learning genius-type stuff.

    White Cat Holly Black 2010

  • My working money—a total of three thousand dollars—is hidden between the pages of a big leather-bound onomasticon.

    White Cat Holly Black 2010

  • My working money—a total of three thousand dollars—is hidden between the pages of a big leather-bound onomasticon.

    White Cat Holly Black 2010

  • Meanwhile, if the thesaursus doll had legal definitions printed on it, I believe it would instead be an “onomasticon”.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Thesaurus Inventus: 2009

  • Appended to the lives are annotations, explaining any difficulties therein; while no less than five or six indexes adorn each volume: the first an alphabetical list of Saints discussed; the second chronological; the third historical; the fourth topographical; the fifth an onomasticon, or glossary; the sixth moral or dialectic, suggesting topics for preachers.

    The Contemporary Review, January 1883 Vol 43, No. 1 Various

  • Mission archéol.institut. français, II, ii, 133; De Vit, Totius latinitatis onomasticon, IV (1887), cites all the passages from ancient authors, Greek and Latin, where mention is made of Memphis;

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mass Music-Newman 1840-1916 1913

  • So the next time you need to use the word "thesaurus", prove you have amazing diction to your listeners and use onomasticon in its place.

    Everything2 New Writeups kal99 2010

  • With the deportment of one who grapples with a suppositious onomasticon, this solicitation of manuscription shall be adventured with due diligence.

    ShoutWire.com 2009

  • With the deportment of one who grapples with a suppositious onomasticon, this solicitation of manuscription shall be adventured with due diligence.

    ShoutWire.com 2009

Comments

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  • In Italian, onomastico means name day.

    October 17, 2009

  • Old telephone tech's once vast icon

    Is gone like the dodo and mastodon.

    In vain do I look

    For a telephone book,

    That compendious onomasticon.

    October 16, 2015