caconymy

English

Noun

caconymy (plural not attested)

1. The use of a caconym.
   • 1885, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, page 285:

     ...the relative advantages of any pair of characters may be discussed irrespective of my personal belief that names such as are described in the first column are, as a rule, euonyms, while caconymy summarizes the attributes enumerated in the second.

   • 2013, J Vlčková, “Social identity and its reflection in communication: Jimmie Blacksmith in Thomas Keneally's novel The chant of Jimmie Blacksmith”, in Brno studies in English:

     "Old sow" in (15) is not derogative, it is a caconymy and indicates close relationship to which Jimmie reacts by saying not only how his mother is but also mentions other members of his family (16).