Dictionary

name

see also: NAmE

Etymology 1

From Middle English name, nome, from Old English nama, noma, from Proto-West Germanic *namō, from Proto-Germanic *namô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥.

Pronunciation

enPR: nām, IPA: /neɪm/

Noun

name (plural names)

Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing.
Synonyms: proper name, Thesaurus:name
- c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene ii]:
  That which we call a rose
  By any other name would smell as sweet.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Genesis 2:19 ↗:
  […] and whatsoeuer Adam called euery liuing creature, that was the name thereof.
- 1904, L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz:
  So good a man as this must surely have a name.
I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty.
What's your name?
Puddintane. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same.
Reputation.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene iii]:
  Good name in man and woman, dear my lord
  Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
- 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
  The parish stank of idolatry, abominable rites were practiced in secret, and in all the bounds there was no one had a more evil name for the black traffic than one Alison Sempill, who bode at the Skerburnfoot.
- 1952, Old Testament, Revised Standard Version, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 2 Samuel 8:13 ↗:
  And David won a name for himself.
An abusive or insulting epithet.
Stop calling me names!
A person (or legal person).
- 1697, Virgil, translated by John Dryden, The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:
  They list with women each degenerate name.
- p. 2002, second edition of, 2002, Graham Richards, Putting Psychology in its Place, ISBN 1841692336, page 287
  Later British psychologists interested in this topic include such major names as Cyril Burt, William McDougall, […] .
- 2008 edition of, 1998, S. B. Budhiraja and M. B. Athreya, Cases in Strategic Management, ISBN 0074620975 page 79 :
  Would it be able to fight the competition from ITC Agro Tech and Liptons who were ready and able to commit large resources? With such big names as competitors, would this business be viable for Marico?
- 2009 third edition of, 1998, Martin Mowforth and Ian Munt, Tourism and Sustainability, ISBN 0203891058, page 29 :
  International non-governmental organisations (INGOs), including such household names as Amnesty International, Greenpeace and […] .
Those of a certain name; a race; a family.
- 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 7, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC ↗:
  The ministers of the republic, mortal enemies of his name, came every day to pay their feigned civilities.
Authority; behalf.
Halt in the name of the law!
(computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters.
(UK, finance) An investor in Lloyd's of London bearing unlimited liability.

Translations

French: nom
German: Name
Italian: nome
Portuguese: nome
Russian: и́мя
Spanish: nombre

Translations

French: nom
German: Name, Ruf
Italian: fama, riputazione
Portuguese: nome, fama, reputação
Russian: и́мя
Spanish: fama, reputación, renombre

Translations

French: nom

Etymology 2

From Middle English namen, from Old English namian and ġenamian, from Proto-West Germanic *namōn.

Verb

name (names, present participle naming; simple past and past participle named)

(ditransitive) To give a name to.
One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC ↗:
  A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well.
(transitive) To mention, specify.
He named his demands.
You name it!
You have to pot the ball in the pocket you've named.
(transitive) To identify as relevant or important
naming the problem
(transitive) To publicly implicate by name.
The painter was named as an accomplice.
(transitive, of a person) To disclose the name of.
Police are not naming the suspect as he is a minor.
(transitive) To designate for a role.
Synonyms: nominate
My neighbor was named to the steering committee.
(transitive, Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct.
- 2013 July 10, John (Speaker of the House of Commons) Bercow, (Please provide the book title or journal name), to MP Nigel Dodds:
  I must warn the Right Honourable gentleman, that if he persists in his refusal to comply with my order to withdraw [the words "deliberately deceptive"], I shall be compelled to name him.