top definitions
related content
examples

by-name

or by·name

[ bahy-neym ]

/ ˈbaɪˌneɪm /

noun

a secondary name; cognomen; surname.

a nickname.

Origin of by-name

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75

Words nearby by-name

by-blow, by-catch, by-election, by-form, by-line, by-name, by-numbers, by-path, by-play, by-plot, by-product

Example sentences from the Web for by-name

He was a capital comic actor, and owed his by-name to his success in playing Dicky, in the "Constant Couple."

Their Majesties' Servants (Volume 1 of 3) |John Doran
It was not so; and the by-name by which I went behind my back confirmed it.

The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 11 (of 25) |Robert Louis Stevenson
JACK, a word with a great variety of meanings and applications, all traceable to the common use of the word as a by-name of a man.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 1 |Various
His daughter was named Steinvor, a pretty girl and well set up; her by-name was Slim-ankles.

The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald |Unknown

He is styled King of the Gipsies, but the country-people call him “Terrible,” for a by-name.

A History of the Gipsies |Walter Simson