English
anonym
Anonym comes from French anonyme ‘anonymous’, from Ancient Greek ἀνώνυμος ‘without name’, and ultimately from Hittite ḫannaⁱ- ‘to sue, judge’.
- Hittitemodernḫannaⁱ-transliteratedcuneiform ḫannaⁱ-, a transliteration‘to sue, judge’
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁nómn̥‘name’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ónomə‘name’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὄνομαónoma‘name’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὄνυμα‘Lyric, Aeolic, and Laconian form of ὄνομᾰ (ónomă)’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀνώνυμοςanṓnumos‘without name’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentanonyme‘anonymous’
- Englishtodayanonym
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Hittitemodernḫannaⁱ-transliteratedcuneiform ḫannaⁱ-, a transliteration‘to sue, judge’
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁nómn̥‘name’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ónomə‘name’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὄνομαónoma‘name’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὄνυμα‘Lyric, Aeolic, and Laconian form of ὄνομᾰ (ónomă)’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀνώνυμοςanṓnumos‘without name’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentanonyme‘anonymous’
- Englishtodayanonym
The story
Coined or borrowed around 1812, from French anonyme, from Ancient Greek ἀνώνυμος (anṓnumos, “without name”).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ ‘name’
name, nomination, nominal, nominate, allocate, noun, renown, misnomer, nominative, ignominious, ignominy, 31 more
through Ancient Greek ὄνομα ‘name’
Today it means
noun An anonymous person.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Hittite ḫannaⁱ- / anonym