▪ I. name, n.
(neɪm)
Forms: α. 1 nama, 2– name, (5 Sc. nayme), 2–5 nam, (5 naam). β. 1 noma, 2 nome.
[OE. nama, nǫma masc. = OFris. nama, noma, OS. namo (MDu. name, naem, Du. naam), OHG. namo (MHG. and G. name), Goth. namô; the original gender and the final n of the stem (see nemn v.) is retained in ON. nafn, namn neut. (Sw. namn, Da. navn). Cognate forms occur in all the other Indo-European languages, as Skr. nāman, Gr. ὄνοµα, L. nōmen, OIr. ainm (pl. anmann), OSl. imę (Russ. imya), etc.]
I. 1. a. The particular combination of sounds employed as the individual designation of a single person, animal, place, or thing.
| α Beowulf 78 [He] scop him Heort naman. Ibid. 343 Beowulf is min nama. 862 Charter 29 in O.E. Texts 439 Brocces ham ðes dennes nama. ðes oðres dennes nama sænget hryg. a 1000 O.E. Chron. an. 975 Eorla ealdor þæm wæs Eadweard nama. a 1122 Ibid. (Laud MS.) an. 1118 Iohan of Gaitan..þam wæs oðer nama Gelasius. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 91 Þat mai ech man understonden þe wot wat bitocneð þese tweie names betfage and ierusalem. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 232 Name he gaf hire..; Issa was hire firste name. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 1216 Marchaund ich haue ben ay, Mi nam is tramtris. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 191 The kinges Moder there lay, Whos rihte name was Domilde. c 1450 Myrc 138 Then may the fader..Crysten the chylde and ȝeue hyt name. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 24 Marke therin the citees names & other places in his mynde. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 406 A sonne named Henry..the seventh of that name. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. i. iv. 14 Peter Simple, you say your name is? 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxiv. 213 God needeth not to distinguish his Celestiall servants by names. 1710 Pope Windsor For. 339 The fam'd authors of his ancient name, The winding Isis, and the fruitful Thame. 1776 Gibbon Decl. & F. vi. I. 156 The name of Antoninus..had been communicated by adoption to the dissolute Verus. 1818 Shelley Julian 584 The name Of Venice, and its aspect, was the same. 1897 H. Porter in Century Mag. July 357 He would call them sometimes by their last names. |
| β c 850 Martyrol. in O.E. Texts 177 His noma wæs Maximus. 971 Blickl. Hom. 161 Þæs noma wæs Zacharias. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 83 Þenne ne mihte noht hire sune habbe þene nome þet him wes iȝefen. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 444 Nat ich nowðer þi nome ne ich ne cnawe þi cun. a 1300 K. Horn (Harl. MS.) 214 Wel brouc þou þy nome ȝyng. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 3 The kyng clepet a clerke (I know not his nome). c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 687 Now wolly telle ȝow forther—more þe nomes of þe founders euerychon. |
b. In Oxford and Cambridge use, in phrases denoting that the person continues, or ceases, to be an actual member of a college or hall.
| 1779–81 Johnson L.P., Shenstone, He continued his name in the book ten years, though he took no degree. 1858 Ordinances Univ. Cambr. (1904) 257 His name not having been kept on the boards of his College. 1860 Oxford Univ. Cal. 140 Provided they have kept their name on the Books of some College or Hall..for twenty-six Terms. 1860 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xxiv, Drysdale, anticipating his fate, took his name off before they sent for him. |
c. Stockbroking. The ticket bearing the name of the purchaser of stock, handed over to the selling broker on name-day or ticket-day.
| [1891 G. H. Stutfield Rules & Usages Stock Exchange 59 When the issuer of the ticket is a broker,..he has to insert the name of his client as the person into whose name the Stock is to be transferred.] 1907 Poley & Gould Hist., Law & Pract. Stock Exchange 178 It is called the ticket or name day because of the passing of tickets or names on that day. 1934 F. E. Armstrong Bk. Stock Exchange x. 193 ‘Names’ play an important part in the settlement of Stock Exchange transactions. 1968 J. D. Hamilton Stockbroking Today i. iii. 89 Once in the office the names are sorted by the Names Department so that each name or batch of names matches a certain sale.. and where there is more than one ticket they are pinned together. |
d. (or) my name is not ―, appended to a statement as an assertion of its truth.
| 1803 S. Owenson St. Clair vi. 29 Sir Patrick will make the walls of the old Abbey ring again, or my name is not Michael M'Carty. 1898 J. D. Brayshaw Slum Silhouettes 220, I tell yer straight, if me an' Kitty don't make Soufend sit up, my name ain't Bill Brown. 1962 C. S. Forester Hornblower & Hotspur xiii. 174 We'll have a westerly gale, sir, or my name's not William Bush. |
e. to put, or write, someone's name down for: to enter someone's name on a list of those interested in sharing in, acquiring, or taking part in a particular commodity or activity (
cf. put v.
1 41 i).
| 1819 M. Edgeworth Let. 2 Apr. (1971) 193 Lady Jersey..told me she would put down our names and give me some tickets for Almacks. Of the 5 Patronesses she is supposed to rule. 1821 ― Let. 30 Oct. (1971) 248 The Colleges are now so full that a young mans name must be written down 3 or 4 years before he can hope to get in. 1824 [see put v.1 41 i]. 1969 Guardian 20 Mar. 20/3 Lord Linley, seven-year-old son of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, had had his name put down for Eton. 1974 Listener 25 Apr. 525/3 Frances has her name down for Danesbury [Hospital] just in case something should happen to Ron. |
f. give it a name: what would you like to drink?
| 1854 Dickens Hard T. i. vi. 43 What thall it be, Thquire... Thall it be Therry? Give it a name, Thquire!..have a glath of bitterth. c 1863 T. Taylor in M. R. Booth Eng. Plays of 19th Cent. (1969) II. 88, I hope you'll allow me to stand treat—give it a name, gentlemen... Thank you, I never drink with strangers. 1929 J. B. Priestley Good Companions i. vi. 235 The waiter collected orders and told Inigo to give it a name. 1931 T. R. G. Lyell Slang 540 ‘Well, boys, the drinks are on me! Give it a name!’ 1951 J. B. Priestley Festival at Farbridge i. ii. 59 What are you drinking? Give it a name, chaps—there's everything here. |
g. to have one's name (and number) on it: of a bullet, etc.: to be destined to kill a particular person.
| 1917 A. G. Empey Over Top 312 Tommy detests these mortars because..he knows that it is only a matter of minutes before a German shell with his name and number on it will be knocking at his door. 1919 Athenæum 18 July 632/2 A soldier refers to the shell that kills him as ‘having his name and number on it’. 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 163 Name (or number) on, to have one's, said of a bullet that hit a man; i.e., that it was destined for him. 1958 R. Storey Touch it Light in Plays of Year XVIII. 376 Ted. That farmer don't like us, sir. Ever since that bomb fell on his cowshed. Og. He thought it should have fallen on you? Syd. It had our name on it all right. 1973 D. Francis Slay-Ride xii. 140 The bomb probably had my name on it in the first place. |
h. no names, no pack-drill:
phr. used to indicate that if nobody is named as being responsible, nobody can be blamed.
Cf. pack-drill s.v. pack n.1 15 c.
| 1923 O. Onions Peace in our Time i. ii. 25 Men had a way of omitting the names of those of whom they spoke; no names no pack-drill. 1926 E. Wallace More Educated Evans vii. 160 There's a certain party—no names no pack-drill—who's fairly doggin' me to get information. 1931 P. MacDonald Crime Conductor i. i. 7 ‘Meaning?’ said Cuthbertson. ‘No names,’ said Garth Johnson quickly, ‘no pack drill!’ 1955 M. Allingham Beckoning Lady ii. 32 It just means no name, no pack drill, and always speak well of them as has money to sue. 1962 ‘B. Graeme’ Undetective iii. 32 ‘It's a lie, mister. Who told you?’ ‘No names, no pack drill.’ |
i. to have one's name in lights: to be a well-known actor and so have one's name displayed in lights outside the theatre.
| 1929 J. B. Priestley Good Companions ii. i. 282 His determination to top the bill and have his name in electric lights. 1972 Guardian 15 Jan. 8/4, I couldn't wait to get up there with the best of them and see my name up in lights—topping the bill at the Palladium. |
j. the name of the game (
colloq.): the object or essence of an action, etc.
| 1966 Legionary (Ottawa) Oct. 36/1 Where the knight's concerned, quality is the name of the game. 1967 Maclean's Mag. Aug. 27/3 And if this means running up against slum landlords, do-nothing local councils or a hostile white community—well, that's the name of the game. 1970 G. Jackson Let. in Soledad Brother (1971) 247 We should never make it easy for them—by relaxing—at this stage of the educational process. Examples are crucially important. Well that's the name of the game right now. 1972 Jazz & Blues Sept. 7/3 If I can make you feel like you want to holler on your horn then that's the name of the game man. 1972 Times 29 Sept. 11/1 The name of the game this week is survival. 1973 Nature 6 July 2/1 Call my bluff was the name of the game at last week's meeting of the International Whaling Commission. |
2. a. The particular word or words used to denote any object of thought not considered in, or not possessed of, a purely individual character.
to call names: see
call v. 17 c.
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. ii. 19 ælc libbende nyten, swa swa Adam hit ᵹeciᵹde, swa ys hys nama. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 115 Ðe king bið icoren to þan þe him cuð his noma. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 222 Ilc kinnes beste of erðe boren,..ðor gaf adam ilc here is name. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. pr. vi. (1868) 78 If þe name of gentilesse be referred to renoun and clernesse of linage. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 13 For pride of thilke astat To bere a name of a prelat. c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 472 Nayme off rewill on him he wald tak nayne. 1486 Bk. St. Albans D iij, Now foloys the naamys of all maner of hawkys. 1527 Tindale Doctr. Treat. 116 That which is deserved is called (if thou wilt give him his right name) hire or wages. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 82 b, This is in dede y⊇ first original of the name of Protestauntes. 1590 Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons 2 b, Their Ensignes also they will not call by that name, but by the name of Colours. 1615 W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1626) 18 It is hardly possible to misse in graffing so often, if your Gardiner be worth his name. 1634 Milton Comus 628 He..would..shew me simples of a thousand names. 1667 ― P.L. vi. 174 Unjustly thou deprav'st it with the name Of Servitude. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 374 ¶1 There is a Fault, which, tho' common, wants a Name. 1781 Cowper Retirement 723 Flowers by that name promiscuously we call. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cxi, Thus he bore without abuse The grand old name of gentleman. 1873 Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 88 §22 The offence, by whatever name called, which if committed in England would be perjury. |
† b. A title of rank or dignity.
Obs. rare.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V 75 b, Deprived of all honores, names, dignities and preheminences whiche he then had. |
† c. Gram. A noun.
Obs.| 1563–7 Buchanan Reform St. Andros Wks. (S.T.S.) 8 The lawast class is for thayme that suld declin the namis, and the verbes actives, passives and anomales. |
† d. Arith. Denomination.
Obs. rare.
| 1714 S. Cunn Treat. Fractions 51 The Quote is that part of the Answer that is of that Name; then reduce the Remainder to the next inferior Name. |
II. In pregnant senses, chiefly originating in Biblical uses based upon Hebrew modes of expression.
3. The name (sense 1) of God or Christ, with implication of divine nature and power inherent in it.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter viii. 2 Dryhten ur, hu wundurlic is noma ðin. a 850 Lorica Prayer in O.E. Texts 174 Daelniomende..alra ðeara goda ðe æniᵹ monn for his noman ᵹedoeð. 971 Blickl. Hom. 103 His noman we sceolan weorþian mid wordum & mid dædum. c 1200 Ormin 5342 Þa shallt tu þurrh þe name off Crist Ben borrȝhenn att tin ende. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3497 Tac ðu nogt in idel min name. 1382 Wyclif Acts xxvi. 9 Aȝens the name of Jhesu Nazarene, for to..do manye contrarie thingis. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 237 Condigne laude nor comendacioun, Youe to this name ther can no tonge telle. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 219 b, Thy holy name is inuocate & named vpon vs. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 43 They gave thankes to God y{supt} they should suffer for the glorie of his name. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 412 Hail Son of God,..thy Name Shall be the copious matter of my Song. 1738 Wesley Hymn, Thee we adore i, Thee we adore Eternal Name. 1781 Cowper Truth 556 His own glorious rights he would disclaim, And man might safely trifle with his name. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam x. xxvii, Our secret pride Has scorned thee, and thy worship, and thy name. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xxxvi, We yield all blessing to the name Of Him that made them current coin. |
4. a. The name of a person (
† or thing) with implication of the individual denoted by it.
| 1382 Wyclif Rev. iii. 4 Thou hast a fewe names in Sardis, the whiche defouleden not her clothes. a 1400–50 Alexander 993 Þare is na region ne rewme..bot it sall my name loute. 1467–8 Rolls of Parlt. V. 574/2 Eny Acte made for the corporation or name of the Duchie of Lancastre. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, ii. iv. 56 By the hand Of that black Name, Edward, black Prince of Wales. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ i. iv. §11 Unless this might be any plea for his ignorance,..that he had so many great names after him guilty of the same. 1700 Dryden Pal. & Arc. ii. 504 There Samson was, with wiser Solomon, And all the mighty names by love undone. 1781 Cowper Conversat. 828 Echo learns politely to repeat The praise of names for ages obsolete. 1849–50 Alison Hist. Eur. V. xxix. 208 Names since immortalised in the rolls of fame were..assembled..at the Tuileries. |
b. The name (sense 1) of a person or group of persons, with implication of all the individuals bearing, or comprehended under, it; those having a certain name; hence, a family, clan, people.
| 1382 Wyclif Isa. lxvi. 22 As newe heuenus and newe erthe.. so stonde shal ȝoure sed, and ȝoure name. 1559 in Froude Hist. Eng. (1863) VIII. 3 Whose blood they once shed, they lightly never cease killing all that name. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 183 Ah beastly creature, The blot and enemy to our generall name. 1601 ― All's Well i. iii. 162, I am from humble, he from honored name. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 142 Since I in one Night freed..welnigh half Th' Angelic Name. 1690 Lond. Gaz. No. 2575/3 Three of the Heads of Clans, or Chiefs of a Name, are come in and submitted to him. 1781 Cowper Expost. 170 The favours poured upon the Jewish name. 1817 Shelley Pr. Athan. i. 30 Of an ancestral name the orphan chief. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 547 All the clans hostile to the name of Campbell were set in motion. |
5. a. The name (sense 1) of a person as mentioned by others with admiration or commendation; hence, the fame or reputation involved in a well-known name.
to have one's name up, to be much spoken of.
| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 22 Of a kniȝt is þat y mene, His name it sprong wel wide. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 479 Of þe bischope þe nam ran sa in al þe land to and fra. a 1425 Cursor M. 12633 (Trin.), Fro þenne of ihesu sprong þe nome. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. iv. 155 My vnsoild name, th' austeerenesse of my life. 1784 Cowper Task vi. 101 Some to the fascination of a name Surrender judgment hoodwinked. 1789 Loiterer No. 43. 4 The ill effects of possessing an extensive reputation, or as an old English Phrase expresses it, having one's name up. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas viii. x. ¶1 When once my name was up for a man after the Duke of Lerma's own heart, I had very soon my court about me. 1859 Tennyson Vivien 681 If they find Some stain or blemish in a name of note. |
b. of no name,
without (a) name, implying obscurity and unimportance.
| 1611 Bible Job xxx. 8 They were children of fooles, yea children of base men [marg. men of no name]. 1671 Milton Samson 677 Nor do I name of men the common rout,..Heads without name no more rememberd. 1697 Dryden æneid vi. 1055 These shall then be Towns of mighty Fame; Tho' now they lye obscure; and Lands without a Name. 1821 Shelley False Laurel & True 7 One of the crowd thou art without a name. |
c. A famous or notorious person, a celebrity; one whose name is well known. Also
attrib. or as adj., and in extended use, of a well-known group of people,
esp. a jazz band (see
name band below).
| 1611 Bible Ezek. xxiii. 10 She became famous [marg. a name] among women. 1826 Disraeli Viv. Grey iii. vii, Dr. Spix is a most excellent man, a most accurate traveller, quite a name. 1842 Tennyson Ulysses 11, I am become a name; For always roaming..Much have I seen and known. 1936 Variety 17 June 32/1 The greatest ‘names’ in the industry, including the cream of its players. 1941 Sun (Baltimore) 28 July 11/5 Virtually all of the name horses in the land will be on the scene for the thirty-day meeting. 1943 Ibid. 14 Aug. 7/5 At least ten ‘name’ players, fellows like Gene Sarazen and Craig Wood and Byron Nelson and Walter Hagen, have assured Corcoran that they'd be available. 1945 L. Shelly Jive Talk Dict. 15/1 Name,..most popular band at the moment. 1947 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 11 Oct. 53/1 The growing group of record makers who..turn..to the reservoir of fine performing talent that..lie outside the galaxy of first-rank star names. 1955 J. Betjeman in R. S. Thomas Song at Year's Turning 12 His publisher believed that a ‘name’ was needed to help sell the book. 1960 20th Cent. Apr. 342 A big factor in the sale of the more popular ‘name’ records is the personality cult. 1972 Times 12 Dec. 2/6 RIBA circles..had feared that the former Secretary of State, Mr. Walker, would appoint a ‘name’ with glamour to a post where he would have had little real authority or influence. 1973 Black World Jan. 28/2 He has concerned himself with the promotional affairs of several ‘name’ theaters in the Cleveland area. 1973 Times 6 Feb. 7/3 There is a narrowing of the opportunities for ‘name’ designers (couture tailors). 1974 Times Lit. Suppl. 18 Jan. 50/3 Professor Eliade is what publishers like to call a ‘name’, and you cannot ignore him. |
d. An underwriter at Lloyd's.
| 1885 G. van de Linde Chartered Accountants' Students' Soc. Lect. Biogr. Lloyd's Policy 10 The respective partners of Blank & Co.,..head the policy by underwriting it to the extent of {pstlg}10,000 between them, each name being respectively responsible for the amount against the signature. 1928 Wright & Fayle Hist. Lloyd's xxiii. 422 Let us consider the career of an underwriting ‘Name’, that is an Underwriting Member of Lloyd's represented by an Agent. 1937 R. Straus Lloyd's xi. 257 Marine underwriters..offered themselves as ‘Names’ to those Underwriting Agents who specialised in non-marine risks. 1972 G. Lyall Blame the Dead iv. 23 He's a Name. Ibid. 24 That means a member; they call them Names. 1973 Daily Tel. 16 Oct. 3/7 Discussing evidence given earlier by her father, Dr Dugdale said he was a ‘name’ several times over at Lloyd's, concerned in shipping and aircraft insurance. He made her a ‘name’ ensuring her a great deal of capital and a very high income. |
6. a. The reputation
of some character or attribute.
† Also
const. with
inf., and
ellipt. (
quot. 1727).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 17472 Of men þai wan schenschip and schame, And of þar leute tint þe name. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 6842 Of large almes men ȝaue hym name. c 1418 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 245 If hym lust to have a name Of pelour under ipocrasie. 1456 Paston Lett. I. 383 Consideryng the goode nome and fame of trouth..the which I here of you. c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Brit. 283 Ye have the name to be the..gentyllest of hearte of any lady now lyvynge. 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 42 b, There are diuerse which thinke to get the name of pleasant conceited fellowes. 1601 Holland Pliny x. li. I. 297 He would have the name to eat the resemblers of mans voice. 1625 Bacon Ess., Simulation ¶2 The ablest Men..haue had..a name of Certainty, and Veracity. 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. II. xxxiii. 16 The Name that it got..stuck so fast to it, that none of it would go off at any Price. 1814 Nicholson Country Lass i. Wks. (1897) 41 Sic beauty, and the name o' siller, Gart wooers flock. 1894 Law Times XCVII. 384/1 No profession will lightly earn for itself the name of a profession of hireling subornees of perjury. |
b. With
a and
adj. A fame or reputation of a specified kind.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. vii. 9, I made to thee a greet name. 1382 ― Prov. xxii. 1 Better is a good name, than manye richessis. c 1430 Babees Bk. 42 note, A good name menny folde ys more worthe then golde. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxxii. 70 Keip ordour..That ȝe may gett ane bettir name. 1546 [see ill a. 1 c]. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iii. i. 98 He hath an excellent good name. 1625 Bacon Ess., Riches (Arb.) 237 A good Name, for good and faire dealing. a 1674 Clarendon Hist. Reb. viii. (J.), The king's army..had left no good name behind. 1738 Swift Let. to Pope 8 Aug., I have an ill name in the Post-office of both Kingdoms. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 759 Such expense..buys the boy a name, That sits a stigma on his father's house. 1818 [see dog n.1 15 h]. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. III. 473 If he were victorious, he would..bequeath a great name to posterity. |
c. (Usually in
phr. to get or make (oneself) a name.) A distinguished name; a reputation.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. viii. 13 Forsothe Dauid made to hym a name, whanne he turnyde aȝen. c 1407 Lydgate Reas. & Sens. 5832 This mayde..Had a name and dyde excelle To pleyen at this noble play. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) II. 101 By cruell delynge he must hym get a name. 1535 Coverdale Zeph. iii. 20, I wil get you a name..amonge all people of the earth. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. i. ii. 173 This new Gouernor..for a name Now puts the..Act Freshly on me: 'tis surely for a name. 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 45 They cast to build A Citie..And get themselves a name. 1853 Lytton My Novel vi. xviii, Tell her that I am nameless, and will yet make a name. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 48 When you make yourself a name, As I am sure you will do. |
† d. to bear or carry the name, to have a reputation.
Obs.| 1470–85 Malory Arthur xii. ix. 605 There is none that bereth the name now but ye and syr Tristram. 1572 Schole-house Wom. in Hazl. E.P.P. IV. 138 So they may be trimmed and fed of the best, They haue no remorce who beareth the name. 1601 Holland Pliny ix. xvii. I. 245 Our auncestours set more store by the Sturgeon, and it carried the name above all other fishes. |
7. a. Without article: Repute, reputation, fame, distinction. Now
rare.
| c 1375 Leg. Rood 124 [He] euill angerd was Þat þis cristen king had name More þan he. 1382 Wyclif Zeph. iii. 20 Y shal ȝeue ȝou in to name, and in to herying to alle peplis of erthe. c 1430 How Gd. Wif 75 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 185 Gode name is golde worthe, my leue childe. c 1477 Caxton Jason 33 My desir restith in two singuler thinges; that one is for to conquere name in armes. 1530 Palsgr. 247/2 Name, renom. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. Pref., Not so much seeking thereby any name or glorie. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 419 Yea, and after that, the Falern wines were in name and called for. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xxiii. §5 Senators that had name and opinion for general wise men. 1859 Tennyson Vivien 63 He lay as dead And lost to life and use and name and fame. |
b. of (great, etc.) name, noted, distinguished, famous. Now usually with
adj.| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 2 The firste two [sects] weren grete men of name and hauynge. 1415 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 126 Lordes of name an hunderde and mo Bitterly that bargayn bowght. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VII 23 b, The cytie..conteyned an hundred and fifty thousand houses of name. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. I. 152/1 Of the English side, there died two dukes..with sundrie other men of name. 1625 Bacon Ess., Travel (Arb.) 523 Eminent Persons..which are of great Name abroad. 1699 T. Baker Refl. Learning xiii. 160 In this kind Bartolus is of great name; whose Authority is..valu'd..amongst the Modern Lawyers. 1782 Cowper Friendship 85 Hence authors of illustrious name..Are sadly prone to quarrel. 1816 Keatinge Trav. (1817) I. 33 Although the military architect may be one of high name. 1857 Church Misc. Writ. (1891) I. 16 It would be difficult, perhaps, to mention a writer of name who has more [faults]. |
8. One's repute or reputation, etc.;
esp. one's (good) name.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 28165 For his..welth, his wytt, and his god name. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1811 Lucrece, Thus thou shalt be ded & also lese Thyn name. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 102 Gyfe he did, he lost his name. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems liv. 22 Quhai in felde receawes schame, And tynis thair his knychtlie name. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 103 b, Defame hym, that is to saye, take his good name from hym. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. iv. 70 Would to heauen, Thy name in Armes, were now as great as mine. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. 5 Companies, where sometimes he may lose his good Name. 1705 tr. Bosman's Guinea 17 If the same Care was taken..Guinea would soon lose its dreadful mortal Name. 1781 Cowper Charity 453 Flavia, most tender of her own good name. 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales II. 297 Daily, hourly came Fresh followers, lured by his success and name. 1859–64 Tennyson Grandmother 50, I love you so well that your good name is mine. 1874 Manning Ess. Ser. iii. 26 For the fair name of England, they are being blotted out of our history. |
9. a. The mere appellation in contrast or opposition to the actual person or thing; reputation without correspondence in fact.
† Also
at name, nominally, professedly;
in name only,
only in name: of a marriage without sexual relations.
| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xxxvii. 1 Ther is a frend, bi only name a frend. ― Rev. iii. 1 Thou hast name, that thou lyuest, and thou art deed. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 197/1 The holy vyrgyne..wente to the sayne for to goo fetche at name somme vytaylles. 1601 Shakes. All's Well v. iii. 309 Tis but the shadow of a wife you see, The name, and not the thing. 1666–7 Stillingfl. Serm. Prov. xiv. 9 (1673) 29 Religion becomes but a meer name. 1727 Gay Fables, Hare & Many Friends, Friendship, like love, is but a name, Unless to one you stint the flame. 1784 Cowper Tiroc. 421 Well he plays his part, Christian in name, and infidel in heart. 1817 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. viii. 661 He well knew, that in the circumstances,..a pension..little or nothing differed from a name. 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour I. 385 It has the name of being eighteen yards. 1867 E. Quincy in Life Josiah Quincy 481 The Law School, though in existence..had but a name to live. 1888 Green's Short Hist. viii. §8. 571 The expulsion of the majority of the existing House reduced the Commons to a name. 1894 W. J. Locke At Gate of Samaria (1895) xxi. 245 Henceforward Thornton would be her husband only in name. 1972 A. Roudybush Sybarite Death (1974) xxi. 173, I married her..but it never even occurred to me that our marriage would be other than a marriage in name only. 1975 R. Player Let's talk of Graves ii. 60 She had hated her husband and been his wife only in name. |
b. in all but name: of a situation or set of circumstances, existing but not officially acknowledged or recognized.
| 1934 J. E. Neale Queen Elizabeth xv. 251 In all but name the Papacy was at war with Elizabeth. |
III. In prepositional phrases.
10. by name:
a. Used with verbs of naming or calling, or (in later use) simply added to the proper appellation of a person, etc.
| a 900 Cynewulf Elene 755 Syndon tu on þam..þe man Seraphin be naman hateð. a 1000 O.E. Chron. an. 975 Þone..hatað wide cometa be naman cræftgleawe men. c 1200 Ormin 1828 Summ we findenn o þe boc Enngell bi name nemmnedd. c 1220 Bestiary 38 Ðat defte meiden, Marie bi name. 1382 Wyclif 1 Sam. xvii. 23 That bastard man, Goliath bi name. a 1425 Cursor M. 7370 (Trin.), Dauid he hette bi his name. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. v. i. 157 It doth befall, That I, one Snowt (by name) present a wall. 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 536 Wherever thus created, for no place Is yet distinct by name. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 98 ¶3 A famous Monk, Thomas Conecte by Name. a 1832 Scott in Lockhart Life (1900) I. 240 The last of my chargers..was a high-spirited..one, by name Daisy. |
b. With verbs of calling upon, summoning, enumerating, or mentioning; or in enumeration of individuals.
| c 900 Judith 81 Heo..ongan ða sweᵹles Weard be naman nemnan. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John x. 3 Þa sceap ᵹehyrað his stefne, & he nemð his aᵹene sceap be naman. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 656 Ðet wæron be nam Ithamar biscop of Rofecestre [etc.]. a 1300 Cursor M. 7388 His suns sex,..All he did þam call be nam. Ibid. 12211 Of ilk a letter for to ask, Resune of ilkan bi name. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. ii. 4 A loueliche lady..Cam down fro þat castel and calde me by name. c 1400 Destr. Troy 37 Amonge þat menye,—to myn hym be nome,—Homer was holden haithill of dedis. 1431 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 276 First, y⊇ Aldirman schal clepene vpe ij. men be name. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. ii. 199 Ile tel yu them all by their names. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 649 The Creator calling forth by name His mightie Angels gave them several charge. 1738 Pope Epil. Sat. ii. 10 None but you by Name the guilty lash. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xlii, She forgot to send any message of kindness to Lady O'Dowd.., and did not mention Glorvina by name. |
† c. Used to direct special attention to something mentioned; hence, especially, particularly.
Obs. Cf. namely adv. 1.
| 1583 Babington Commandm. (1590) 370 Wee will neuer, I feare, see the mischiefe of playing, and by name of Dicing. 1626 Bacon Sylva §666 It is strange..that Dust helpeth the fruitfulness of Trees, and of Vines by name. 1660 Sharrock Vegetables 27 The seeds of divers Sowbreads, by name the Roman,..doe the like. |
d. With
know. (
a) Individually. (
b) By repute only; not personally or actually.
| 1382 Wyclif Exod. xxxiii. 17 Thi silf Y haue knowe bi name. 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 577 Though all the Starrs Thou knewst by name. 1795–1814 Wordsw. Excurs. iv. 1226 Abhorrence and contempt are things He only knows by name. 1864 Cornh. Mag. X. 175 Sovereigns whom their subjects scarcely knew save by name. |
11. in one's name,
in the name of one:
a. In phrases expressing invocation of, reliance upon, or devotion to, the persons of the Godhead.
| a 900 Cynewulf Christ 413 Þu ᵹebletsad leofa, þe in Dryhtnes noman duᵹeþum cwome. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxviii. 19 Fuluande hia in noma fadores & sunu & halᵹes gastes. 971 Blickl. Hom. 141 Hie on þinum noman wunnon. c 1200 Ormin 16813 He ne wass nohht ȝet O Cristess name fullhtnedd. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1442 Feole..þoleden anan deað i þe nome of drihtin. a 1300 Cursor M. 266 Now o þis proloug wil we blin In crist nam our bok begin. c 1315 Shoreham i. 248 Ich cristni þe ine þe uader name, And sone, and holy gostes. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xviii. 20 Where two or three shulen be gedrid in my name. 1413 E.E. Wills (1882) 21 In the name of god, Amen... I, Richard Ȝonge [etc.]. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. i. Wks. 1164/1 That in the name of Jesus euery knee bee bowed. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. ii. 153 This, in the Name of Heauen, I promise here. 1738 Wesley Ps. vi. v, Or in the Name of Jesus, chase My Troublers all away. |
b. In adjurations,
orig. by solemn reference to God, Christ, or the saints, but latterly with various substitutions for the names of these, the phrase
freq. becoming a mere ejaculation.
For examples of
a God's name, see
a prep.1 10.
| c 831 Charter 39 in O.E. Texts 446 Ic..bebiade eadwealde..an godes naman & an ealra his haliᵹra ðet [etc.]. a 900 Durham Admon. Ibid. 176 Ic eow halsiᵹe on fæder naman & on suna naman. c 1205 Lay. 10136 Luces þe king..beð hine on godes nomen þat him god uðe. a 1300 Cursor M. 11915 Vnto your kyth, on godds nam, I bidd yow þat yee nu wend ham. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 71, [I] halsede hire in heiȝe nome er heo theonne ȝeode, What heo weore witerly. c 1440 Alph. Tales 264 In þe Name, speke, þou yong childe, & tell if þis dekyn did þis trispas! 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. viii. 224 In the deuyls name sayd the damoysel that suche a bawdy kechen knaue [etc.]. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 106 In the name of God How comes it then that thou art call'd a King? 1611 ― Wint. T. iii. iii. 105 Name of mercy, when was this, boy? 1626 Massinger Roman Actor iv. ii, In the name of wonder, What's Cæsar's purpose? 1642 [see goodness 5]. 1722 De Foe Plague (1884) 85 'Name of God go in. 1740 J. Clarke Educ. Youth (ed. 3) 16 In the Name of Wisdom, what is the Meaning? 1819 Shelley Cenci iv. i. 128 Earth, in the name of God, let her food be poison. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. ix, What in the name of fortune have they been doing to you? 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 212 What, in the name of goodness, do you come hither to teach? |
c. Denoting the use of another's name to give authority or countenance to one's acts; or implying that the action is done on account or on behalf of some other person or persons. Hence, by contrast to this,
in one's own name.
| 1388 Wyclif 1 Kings xxi. 8 Therefor sche wroot lettris in the name of Achab. 1405 Rolls of Parlt. III. 605/2 To fulfill all maner accordez..made..be..our Attournees, or be twa of them in oure name. 1444 Ibid. V. 108/2 To sue an Action of dette in his owne name. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. 745 Ther was a cry made, in the kynges name, on payne of dethe [etc.]. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 64 b, Sir Thomas More made a brief oracion in the name of the citee. 1631 Gouge God's Arrows v. Ded. 406 You who in the name of the rest were Solliciters in this business. 1686 tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 13 The Envoy, having the Grand Vizier's word in the Name of his Highness, return'd to Genoa. 1754 Sherlock Disc. (1759) I. i. 2 St. Peter, in the Name of all made answer, Lord, to whom shall we go? 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 397 That the plaintiff could have no remedy at law, either in his own name, or in the names of the trustees. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 17 A speech which the Bishop of Valence, in the name of the Gallican clergy, addressed..to Lewis the Fourteenth. 1891 Law Times Rep. LXIII. 765/1 The defendants were liable as principals, as they had contracted in their own names. |
d. = Under the character or designation of (some person or thing). Now
rare or
Obs.| 1382 Wyclif Matt. x. 41 He that resceyueth a prophete in the name of a prophete. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xv. 170 Thei brennen his Body in name of Penance. 1464 Rolls of Parlt. V. 560/1 [They] shall pay..cs in name of a payne. 1467–8 Ibid. 581/2 To have to hir for terme of hir life, in name of her Dower. 1548 Hooper Declar. Commandm. ix. Wks. (1843) 372 To lose his head, in the name of a pain. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iii. v. 101 To carry mee in the name of foule Cloathes to Datchet-lane. 1611 ― Wint. T. iii. ii. 61 Which comes to me in name of Fault. 1642 tr. Perkins' Prof. Bk. iii. §209. 64 To deliver.. the deed unto the feoffee in the name of seisin of the same land. 1796 Southey Lett. fr. Spain (1799) 418 These men lay the people under contribution in the name of alms. |
e. Indicating the assigned ownership of a thing.
| 1850 Punch XVIII. 91 If a box of cigars has not been left here in the name of Adam Simpleton? 1888 Law Times LXXXV. 120/2 A sum of consols standing in the name of J. K.,..deceased. |
† 12. in name with, mentioned in connexion with (one of the other sex).
Obs. rare.
| 1565–73 Durham Depos. (Surtees) 256 Being at borde at the said Agnes house, then wedoo, and was in name with hir. 1575–6 Ibid. 284 She was then in name with one Francis Castell. |
13. a. by the name of, called or known by, having, the name of. Now
colloq. and
U.S.| 1676 Life Father Sarpi in Brent's Counc. Trent 42 A Nephew of his by the name of Maestro Santo. 1725 Berkeley Proposal Wks. 1871 III. 230 A Charter for erecting a College by the name of St. Paul's College in Bermuda. 1841 Thackeray Second Funeral Napoleon 3 A grocer living there by the name of Greenacre. 1883 Cable Old Creole Days 35 A palish handsome woman, by the name—or going by the name—of Madame John. 1884 J. Quincy Figures of Past 130 There was a captain by the name of Clark. |
b. So
of the name of.
| 1727–8 Pope Let. to Swift 23 Mar., A member of their Parliament, of the name of Jonathan Gulliver. 1843 Richardson's Borderer's Table-bk. Leg. Div. I. 116 A little crouse, chantin chieldie o' the name o' Tom Fenwick. |
14. to one's name, belonging to one.
| 1876 G. J. Whyte-Melville Katerfelto vii, I have not a horse to my name. |
IV. 15. attrib. and
Comb., as
name-fancy,
name-sound;
name-calling,
† name-cleping,
name-giving;
name-giver,
name-maker;
name-worthy adj.; ‘bearing a name’, as
name-board,
name-card,
name-label,
name-plate,
name-ribbon,
name-ring,
name-tab,
name-ticket; ‘well-known’, of or pertaining to a name (sense 5 or 7), as
name brand,
name-worthy adj.; ‘containing or intended for names’, as
name-book,
name-scroll; ‘named after, or giving a name to, one’, as
name-daughter,
name-father,
name-flower,
name-mamma,
name-saint,
name-sire (
cf. name-child, -son); in
Logic, as
name-forming,
name-matrix,
name-relation,
name-variable; in
Linguistics: consisting of or pertaining to a proper name, as
name-element,
name-form,
name-giving,
name-group,
name-lore,
name-stem,
name-system;
name-act, a cabaret act performed by well-known performers;
name band, a jazz or dance band that has made a name for itself; hence
name bandleader;
name-bar (see
quot.);
name-calling vbl. n., abusive language, mere abuse; hence
name-call v.;
† name-device, a rebus;
name-dropping vbl. n., familiar mention of the names of distinguished people in order to imply one's own importance; also
attrib.; hence (as a back-formation)
name-drop v.,
name-dropper;
name-droppingly adv.;
name-part, the part in a play from which it takes its name; also of a book, a ballet, etc.;
name-piece = name-poem,
name-story;
name-plate, a metal plate bearing a name;
spec. one attached to a piece of machinery, or displaying the name of a road or building; also
attrib. and
fig.; also as
v.;
name-poem, the poem from which a volume of collected poems is named;
name-story, the story from which a volume of collected short stories is named;
name-tag, anything on which a name can be written, to identify the person or object to which it is fixed;
name-tape, a piece of tape with a person's name woven into it or printed on it, fixed to a person's clothing for identification; hence
name-taped ppl. a.;
† name-wizard, one skilled in the mystical meaning of names.
| 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §590/15 *Name act, an act consisting of well-known players. 1949 L. Feather Inside Be-Bop iii. 21 The Berry Brothers and several other name acts. 1967 Stage 2 Mar. 21/4 (Advt.), Top groups required for one night stands. Name acts for winter season cabaret. |
| 1936 Amer. Mercury XXXVIII. p.x/1 *Name band, a band that has gotten the breaks (whether they're good or not). 1938 Sat. Even. Post 2 Apr. 9/1 We are to have an orchestra—‘a name-band by all means’. Ibid. 9/3 At least $2500 for a name band. 1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz (1956) 122 His son..is also a drummer, heard w[ith] Erskine Hawkins and other name bands including Count Basie, '55. 1963 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 8 Jan. 5/1 Although its popularity declined with the passing of the name bands, Toronto's Palace Pier was still a busy, and apparently profitable operation until yesterday. |
| 1958 P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz xix. 236 The year 1951 saw the return to Britain of pre-war ‘*name’ bandleader, Roy Fox. |
| 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 180 *Name Bar,..the bar carrying the upper end of a watch barrel arbor. |
| 1846 Young Naut. Dict. s.v. Arch-board, On this, or more commonly on a board called the *name-board, fitted above it, the ship's name is painted. 1939 Auden & Isherwood Journey to War v. 121 On our left was a little station: we read its name-board, Ling Pao. 1955 J. Cope Fair House i. 24 The turn-off to the Boer farm was a gap in the bush at the roadside, no gate or fence or name-board. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 491 *Name-Book, a mustering list. c 1886 Kipling Departm. Ditties, etc. (1899) 101 He keeps the Name Book. |
| 1944 Time 7 Aug. 38/2 Five times in five minutes the cigaret-counter girl at a Walgreen store in Chicago repeated wearily, ‘We have no *name brands.’ |
| 1853 Dickens Nobody's Story in Househ. Words Extra Christmas No. 35/2 Such *name-calling and dirt-throwing. 1891 Tablet 10 Jan. 63 The most hopeless of all is that of name-calling. 1947 Amer. Speech XXII. 231/1 Namecalling, the attempt to put a person or thing in a bad light by attaching to him or it a word with unpleasant connotations. 1965 G. Jackson Let. 16 Mar. in Soledad Brother (1971) 69, I have been subjected to the ordeal of hunger, thirst, name-calling, and other uncountable indignities. 1973 J. Rossiter Manipulators v. 51 Perhaps..you've been name-calling somebody. And they didn't like it. 1973 R. Ludlum Matlock Paper xxvi. 222, I don't want to be responsible for indiscriminate name-calling, any wide-spread panic. 1975 Verbatim Feb. 4/1 The argument is a little uneven, for here it delivers a polemic against name-calling, there against grammar. |
| 1798 F. Burney Diary VI. 202 Captain Dickenson, as his *name-card says. 1828 P. Cunningham N.S. Wales (ed. 3) II. 112 The name-cards are elegantly printed by our colonial press. 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 361/2 (Advt.), Menu and name cards. 1925 W. J. Locke Great Pandolfo ii. 23 The beautiful lady whose name he had not caught, because, in abstraction, she had turned her name card maddeningly upside down, took little or no interest in him. 1969 A. Cade Turn up Stone i. 25 Michael's experience in the Middle East had taught him the importance of the exchange of name cards in many countries. A man without a card was a man without an identity. |
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love iii. i. (Skeat) l. 102 In that denominacion I wol me acorde to other mens tonges, in that *name-cleping. |
| 1809 Grant Lett. fr. Mountains III. 212 My eldest girl is now staying here, and your *name-daughter with Duncan at the Fort. 1891 R. L. Stevenson Let. Nov. (1899) II. 241, I shal begin to despair of everything but my name-daughter. |
| 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 277 An vsual fashion in former times..which they call rebus, or *name-deuises. |
| 1955 J. D. Salinger Franny & Zooey (1962) 25 There's an unwritten law that people in a certain social or financial bracket can *name-drop as much as they like just as long as they say something terribly disparaging about the person as soon as they've dropped his name. 1959 I. Ross Image Merchants (1960) v. 94 Newsom does not even have to name-drop. The PR man who can avoid that indulgence has truly arrived. 1969 Daily Tel. 22 Aug. 18/3 Mr Walters can name-drop better than most when it comes to generals and film stars. |
| 1947 San Francisco Examiner (Pict. Rev.) 7 Sept., Our newest menace. The *name dropper. 1959 Woman's Own 24 Jan. 31/1 One of my favourite snobs—the name-dropper. 1972 H. Kemelman Monday the Rabbi took Off xii. 84 He would be likely to point out important people to his son—the wife of the British consul, the American first secretary. He was no name-dropper, but he wanted so much to have his son think well of him. |
| 1950 M. McCarthy On Contrary (1962) 186 The idea that it's smart to be in step, to be liberal or avant-garde, is conveyed through the *name-dropping of a Leo Lerman in Mademoiselle. 1951 L. Z. Hobson Celebrity (1953) viii. 119 Rex Stout and Oscar Hammerstein... Conversational spice, he had been thinking; nobody could call it name-dropping. 1966 Philos. XLI. 359 Plus a wordy, name-dropping Introduction. 1973 Times 7 Feb. 4/5 (heading) Solicitors appalled by ‘name-dropping’ in courts. |
| 1966 Guardian 30 Dec. 4/8 He becomes absorbed (*name droppingly so) into the ranks of the literati. |
| 1922 E. Ekwall Place-Names Lancs. 62 It is probably a Scand. name..as Brand is hardly with certainty evidenced as an O.E. *name-element. 1932 E. Weekley Words & Names ix. 134 From the name-element mun, thought, etc., were formed a number of names. 1937 Harvard Univ. Summaries Ph.D. Theses 272 The deuterotheme..is by far the more stable name-element in the late Germanic period. 1951 Traditio VII. 411 The second theme, -ferth..is obviously a metathesized form of frith (peace) which occurs in many Germanic names both as a first and second name element. |
| 1865 Lubbock Preh. Times 471 In some tribes these *name-fancies take a different form. |
| 1748 Richardson Clarissa IV. 5 Knowest thou not, that I am a great *name-father? 1894 Hall Caine Manxman vi. iv, Go to your god-father. He'd have been your name-father too if [etc.]. |
| 1907 A. Quiller-Couch Major Vigoureux ii. 20 Glorious trumpet daffodils!..Major [Narcisse] Vigoureux delighted in them. Were they not his *name-flower? 1927 Observer 24 Apr. 15 Marigold, its heroine, has the unaffected charm of her name-flower. |
| 1946 B. Bloch in Language XXII. 208 The non-past indicative form of a verb, an adjective, or the copula serves as the *name form, used to refer collectively to all the members of a paradigm. 1951 Trager & Smith Outl. Eng. Struct. 60 The uninflected or name-form is the base. 1970 English Studies LI. 445 The name-forms are arranged under OE phonemes. Thus under OE ā we find head-words like āc, brād, rāp. |
| 1955 H. Leblanc Introd. Deductive Logic 2 Semiotic quotes..are a *name-forming operator. 1956 J. H. Woodger tr. Tarski's Logic, Semantics, Metamath. 161 Quotation marks provide an example of a name-forming functor with one sentence argument. 1957 A. N. Prior Time & Modality 119 Our x's are given..by means of a name-forming operator on intervals. |
| 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 7 Why the Britains should so much sticke unto their Brutus, as the *name-giuer of their Iland. 1881 A. J. Evans in Macm. Mag. XLIII. 219 A great city,..the namegiver of this whole inland sea. |
| 1863 A. B. Grosart Small Sins (ed. 2) 74 The insidious *name-giving to any sins of ‘small sins’. 1864 Max Müller Sci. Lang. Ser. ii. viii. (1868) 336 Locke never seems to have realised the intricacies of the names-giving process. 1898 E. Clodd Tom Tit Tot vi. 75 Mungo Park thus describes the name-giving ceremony among the Mandingo people. 1940 A. H. Gardiner Theory of Proper Names vi. 20 Certain name-givings..do not give rise to proper names. 1970 G. R. Stewart Amer. Place-Names p. xii, European scholars rarely concern themselves with the process of name-giving or its motives. |
| 1950 H. L. Lorimer Homer & Monuments iv. 125 Apart from the negative evidence of the Pylos tablets, there is the fact..that certain series of signs in both groups form *name-groups which also occur at Knossos in the Palace script. 1963 English Studies XLIV. 32 Large name-groups with end-variation, e.g. Cēolwald, -helm, -bald, -ward, etc. |
| 1910 Westm. Gaz. 14 Mar. 11/2 Affixing red *name-labels to their seats in the Council Chamber. 1928 D. H. Lawrence Lady Chatterley iv. 36 I'd be ashamed to see a woman walking round with my name-label on her. |
| 1924 Daughter of C. Patmore iii. 36 At one time she is deep in heraldry and *name-lore. 1932 E. Weekley Words & Names vii. 82 One of the puzzles of name-lore is the process by which the French name Jacques..was early confused with Jankin or Jenkin. |
| 1875 Whitney Life Lang. viii. 136 The claims of rival *name-makers are very sharply discussed. |
| 1893 Stevenson Catriona 370 That very fine great lady that is Barbara's *name-mamma. |
| 1940 W. V. Quine Math. Logic iii. 152 Such expressions might be classed as *name matrices, for they are related to names as statement matrices are related to statements. |
| 1894 Westm. Gaz. 11 Sept. 3/3 It had been intended..that Miss Letty Lind should take the *name part. 1936 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 Jan. 73/2 But Reid, after all, is in the ‘name-part’. 1961 Times 5 Apr. 13/6 With Dame Margot Fonteyn in a memorable account of the name-part [of Giselle]. |
| 1924 Glasgow Herald 24 Apr. 4 The *name-piece of the volume is a genealogical..account of this branch of the..family. |
| 1882 Ogilvie, *Nameplate, a metal plate bearing a person's name [etc.]. 1896 Brit. & For. Bible Soc. Rep. 156 Family Bible... With autograph and name-plate. 1904 Electr. Rev. 3 Sept. 327 The committee recommends that the ratings of generators and motors, except traction motors, be marked plainly on the name-plate. Two types of service are recommended, continuous working and intermittent working, and the name-plate must state to which service it relates. 1908 [see finger-post v.]. 1967 Gloss. Terms Builders' Hardware (B.S.I.) iv. 17 Name plate, a plate..bearing one or more words fixed to a door, gate or cupboard..to convey information concerning contents, premises, business, profession or individuals. 1971 M. Tak Truck Talk 110 Nameplate finders, cab-mounted spotlights used to find an address on a building at night. 1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 20/2 Fiction writers..start getting asked to do book reviews and being invited to name-plate cocktail parties. |
| 1958 Blunden War Poets 29 The *name-poem is one of the great achievements. |
| 1956 R. Carnap Meaning & Necessity (ed. 2) iii. 96 The method of the *name-relation is an alternative method of semantical analysis, more customary than the method of extension and intension. Ibid. 97 Following Russell and Church, I used the word ‘denotes’ for the name-relation in the first version of this book. However, in view of the ambiguity just described, I now prefer to avoid it. |
| 1905 Daily Chron. 23 Feb. 6/5 *Name-ribbons may have to be changed. |
| 1877 W. Jones Finger-ring 416 *Name rings are common in France. |
| 1870 Ruskin Lect. Art (1875) 148 His Christian name was John Baptist: he is here painting his *name-Saint. |
| 1861 Lytton & Fane Tannhäuser 37 Four pages..That held the *name-scrolls of the listed bards. |
| 1852 N. Brit. Rev. Nov. 69 The Life of their *Name-sire, sent forth by the Cavendish Society. |
| 1863 A. M. Bell Princ. Speech 148 The alphabetic or *name-sound of the letter O. |
| 1924 Mawer & Stenton Introd. Survey Eng. Place-Names ix. 166 Recent investigation has shown that many Germanic *name-stems which are never recorded in England in historic times were still used by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes of the fifth and sixth centuries. 1953 K. H. Jackson Lang. & Hist. Early Brit. i. 174 The name-stem Maglocun which appears both in Ogam and in Latin. |
| 1927 Observer 24 Apr. 8/4 There is an air of strain, as if she were attempting—at any rate in the *name-story (the others are nearer her usual vein)—to achieve a high-flown style. 1936 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 Jan. 76/4 His ‘name-story’ is of a poor Australian woman who marries an Afghan trader. |
| 1931 C. L'E. Ewen Hist. Surnames iii. 50 Fick concluded that the German *name-system exceeded in splendour..others of the Aryan group. 1937 Harvard Univ. Summaries Ph.D. Theses 271 The aim of this study is..to study the Old English dithematic name against the background of the general Germanic name-system. |
| 1960 V. Jenkins Lions Down Under vi. 95 Mother was almost sewing on *name-tabs at the airport. 1973 P. O'Donnell Silver Mistress ii. 25 The clothes..had tailor's name-tabs. |
| 1946 W. S. Knickerbocker 20th Cent. English 333 Each may usurp the business of the other and lose thereby his special *name-tag. 1948 H. Lawrence Death of Doll x. 230 They did not want name tags pinned to their coat sleeves by Nick. 1953 A. Upfield Murder Must Wait iv. 36 On some of her clothes is a name tag with the initials P.R. overlaid on others which could be J.O. or J.U. 1958 C. Watson Coffin scarcely Used xvii. 163 Purbright watched Gibbins going through pockets. ‘Any name tags?’ he asked. 1964 G. L. Cohen What's Wrong with Hospitals? i. 16 A parallel substitute for the spoken word is the system of name tags prevalent in America and gaining ground in Europe. ‘It saves the staff from having to introduce themselves.’ |
| 1899 in A. Adburgham Shops & Shopping (1964) xxii. 261 *Name tapes. 1932 E. Bowen To North v. 45 She stitched name-tapes on to her new summer-term outfit. 1964 ― Little Girls ii. vii. 152 Her mackintosh, name-taped as St. Agatha's demanded. 1969 Guardian 1 Sept. 7/5 Those new-fangled printed heat-adhesive name tapes. 1971 M. McCarthy Birds of America 49 Peter would have to have a haircut and name-tapes on his clothes. |
| 1826 Miss Mitford Village Ser. ii. (1863) 428 That identical black bag, with its *name-tickets. |
| 1955 A. N. Prior Formal Logic 182 It would not be possible to lay it down..that in any thesis a description may be substituted for a *name-variable. 1957 ― Time & Modality 46 Q is enriched by name-variables, predicate variables, and quantifiers. 1963 O. Wojtasiewicz tr. {Lbar}ukasiewicz's Elem. Math. Logic 103 We shall be concerned with a certain theory of name variables. |
| 1605 Camden Rem. 35 An Onomanticall or *Name-wisard Iew. |
| 1598 R. Haydocke tr. Lomazzo To Rdr., All the *name-worthy writers of the Arte of Painting. 1879 A. W. Ward Chaucer 190 Occleve, the only name-worthy poetical writer of the reign of Henry IV. 1903 Chambers's Cycl. Eng. Lit. (new ed.) III. 695/1 The Growth of Love,..Eros & Psyche.., are amongst his nameworthy poems. |
Add:
[15.] name-check, (
a) the public mention of a person's name,
esp. in acknowledgement of his or her contribution to the matter in hand; (
b) an official check on a person's credentials,
esp. for purposes of security or criminal investigation.
| 1972 Daily Tel. (Colour Suppl.) 10 Nov. 7/2 It would be an exercise hardly more valuable than..reading out ‘*name-checks’ to gratify the vanity of listeners to record programmes. 1987 Hi-Fi News Jan. 125/2 The lyrics betray a hint of literacy, with namechecks for Mark Twain and J D Salinger. 1987 Listener 24 Sept. 38/3 Somebody, somewhere, probably knows whether..Art Blakey and his sidemen have ever had a name-check for their help and encouragement to a British jazz band before. 1987 N.Y. Times Mag. 6 Dec. 30/3 A name check..is run for some Federal agencies..that require such criminal checks by statute. |
▪ II. name, v.1 (
neɪm)
Forms: 1 (
ᵹe)namian, 2–
name, 6
nayme,
Sc. neame; 4–5
nome.
pa. pple. 4
y-namyd, 5
inamed, 4
Sc. nammyt, 6
namen.
[OE. (ᵹe)namian = OFris. nama, noma, -ia, OS. namôn, MDu., MHG. namen, f. nama name n. The usual verb in OE. and ME. is nemnan, nemnen nemn.] I. 1. a. trans. To give a name or names to (persons, places, things, etc.); to call by some name.
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. ii. 20 Adam þa ᵹenamode ealle nytenu heora namum. 1382 Wyclif Eph. iii. 15 The fadir of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, of whom ech fadirheed in heuenes and in erthe is named. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 351/1 Namyn, nomino, denomino, cognomino. 1483 Cath. Angl. 248/2 To Name; appellare, baptizare. 1535 Coverdale Luke ii. 21 His name was called Iesus, which was named of y⊇ angell, before he was conceaued. 1548–9 Bk. Com. Prayer, Baptism 5 b, Then one of them shal name the childe, and dippe him in the water. 1608 Shakes. Per. iii. iii. 13 My gentle babe Marina, Whom, for she was borne at sea, I haue named so. 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 326 Of the Royal Stock Of David (so I name this King). 1735 Pope Donne Sat. iv. 25 Behold! there came A thing which Adam had been pos'd to name. 1819 Shelley Cyclops 701 My father named me so. 1872 Ruskin Eagle's Nest §66 The stars already named and numbered are as many as we require to hear of. |
b. Const.
after,
from,
for,
to (
dial.),
† of.
| c 1450 Lovelich Merlin 991 (Kölbing), They..bad..that it named scholde ibe Aftyr his grant-fadyr. 1535 Coverdale 2 Chron. vii. 13 To humble my people, which is named after my name. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 579 Cocytus, nam'd of lamentation loud Heard on the ruful stream. 1697 Dryden æneid iii. 28 Enos, nam'd from me, the City [I] call. 1800 H. Wells Const. Neville i. 7 Louisa, who had been named for the mother of Mr. Hayman. 1826 [see for prep. 7 c]. 1842 R. I. Wilberforce Rutilius & Lucius 97 Porphyry,..whom, I suppose, you have named after the great philosopher. 1875 Lowell Under Old Elm viii, Virginia, fitly named from England's manly queen! 1930 Ade Let. 20 Aug. (1973) 147 At one time he [sc. Peter VanRensselaer] owned thousands of acres in this region and the city of Rensselaer is named for him. 1933 S. Howard Alien Corn i. 14 We were just saying you must have been named for Wagner's Elsa. 1936 M. de la Roche Whiteoak Harvest vi. 95 You'll have children and perhaps..you'll name a little boy for me. 1957 Northern Life June 9/1 Saville Row was named for Col. Sir Geo. Saville, who commanded the garrison of the town [sc. Newcastle upon Tyne] in 1776–7 and lived in a house here. 1968 B. Foster Changing Eng. Lang. v. 226 A very typically American turn of phrase that is showing signs of headway in Britain is the replacing of ‘named after’ by ‘named for’. |
c. With the name as complement.
| 1390 Gower Conf. II. 17 And thus Iphis Thei namede him. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 1 The cause why we name this treatyse the pilgrymage of perfeccion. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. ii. 6 Afterward they named it the Iland of Sancta Hælena. 1634 Milton Comus 58 A Son..Whom..she brought up and Comus nam'd. 1742 Pope Dunc. iv. 409, I rear'd this Flow'r,..Then thron'd in glass, and named it Caroline. 1781 Cowper Charity 3 Whether we name thee Charity or Love. 1839 Keightley Hist. Eng. I. 52 The province was named Normandy from the Northmen. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 441 There is a virtue, Simmias, which is named courage. |
d. In
pa. pple.| c 1400 Destr. Troy 7305 A lyuely yong knight,..nomet Boethes. 1490 Caxton Eneydos vi. 25 His sone, named pygmaleon, succeded hym. 1530 Palsgr. 643/2 Howe is he named more than Johan? 1605 Shakes. Lear i. i. 274, I..am most loth to call Your faults as they are named. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 80 One..Long after known in Palestine, and nam'd Beëlzebub. 1704 Pope Windsor For. 172 A rural nymph..the fair Lodona nam'd. 1781 Cowper Charity 550 That monument of ancient power, Named with emphatic dignity, the Tower. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 151 Another brother, named Richard, had, in foreign service, gained some military experience. |
2. a. To call by some title or epithet.
| c 900 in Bouterwek Screadunga 18 Hwi namode Crist on his godspelle Abel rihtwisne toforan oþrum? c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints i. (Peter) 550 Of þe blame, þat lytil befor tholit he Of thame namyt of galele. 1382 Wyclif 1 Macc. x. 1 Alisaundre, son of Antiochus, that is named [v.r. y-namyd] noble. c 1477 Caxton Jason 6 Fro thenne forthon he named him his broder. 1535 Coverdale Isa. lxi. 6 Ye shalbe named the prestes of the Lorde. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. i. ii. 18 As an appertinent title to your olde time, which we may name tough. 1631 Chettle Hoffman B 3 What though for this..he was nam'd A prescript outlaw. 1732 Pope Ess. Man i. 282 Cease then, nor Order Imperfection name. 1818 Shelley Silence 2 Silence! Oh, well are Death and Sleep and Thou Three brethren named. 1869 Lynch Church & State 17 Name them bishops, or name them not bishops, you will still have chief men. |
† b. In
pass. To have a (good or bad) name; to be (well or ill) spoken of.
Obs. rare.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 333 Sche, that hath evere be wel named. Ibid. III. 268 That in hir lif sche were schamed And I therof were evele named. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) G b, My sonne in lawe is greatly desyred, loued and wel named amonge the common people. |
† c. To give (one) the name (of being something); to allege or declare (a person or thing)
to be something.
Obs.| 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. xlvi. 488 Corsabryn noysed her and named her that she was oute of her mynde. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 342 Sir John Froyssart nameth one John Ball to be a chiefe Captaine. 1591 Durham Depos. (Surtees) 332 [He] did then jussell upon a strainger naymed to be a Duke. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. v. (1739) 13 Other obedience than this I do not know to be due to him whom you name to be Pope. |
† d. In
pass. To be said
to be, etc.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1551 Recorde Pathw. Knowl. i. xxvii, The circle is not named to be drawen in a triangle, because it doth not touche the sides of the triangle. |
3. To call (a person or thing) by the right name.
In
Sc. use
freq. with negative, implying that one has forgotten the name.
| c 1450 Merlin 319 Gentill sir, cometh forth, for I can not yet yow namen. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 335 Thou..wouldst..teach me how To name the bigger Light and how the lesse. 1611 ― Wint. T. i. ii. 386 There is a sicknesse, Which puts some of vs in distemper, but I cannot name the Disease. 1786 Burns Holy Fair iv, I'm sure I've seen that bonie face, But yet I canna name ye. 1846 Keble Lyra Innoc. 24 Easier each hour the task will grow To name the unfolding flower. |
II. 4. a. To nominate, designate, assign, or appoint (a person) to some office, duty, or position.
| a 1000 Laws Edw. in Thorpe I. 158 ᵹif he..ne mehte, þonne namede him man six men. a 1000 Laws æthelst. ibid. 240 Beforan..his witum þe se cyng silf namode. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 500 [Hi] wurdon ᵹenamode to þam ylcan ᵹewinne þe heora fæderas on wæron. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas ix. xix. (1554) 27 How Robert duke of Normandy..was named to the crowne of Jerusalem. 1496–7 Act 12 Hen. VII, c. 13 §1 The seid orderours and assessours..shall name Collectours for the levye of the same aide. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 27 §56 Such persons, as shalbe named to be iustices of peace. 1552 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 130 Gif the Lord neames his tennent and chargis to mak him in reddiness to compeir. 1605 Shakes. Macb. ii. iv. 31 He is already nam'd, and gone to Scone To be inuested. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 81 Hisouf Basha..was declared Mansoul, and Kaidar Zada named in his place. 1726 Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 240 The Assembly came to the choice of the new Moderator, and Mr. Mitchell..was named by the Commissioner. 1799 Jefferson Writ. (ed. Ford) VII. 362 In the meantime, a consul general is named to St. Domingo. 1831 Examiner 563/1 A malignant Ministry..names him to a Bishopric. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. §10. 568 Though the members of the Council were originally named by him, each member was irremovable save by consent of the rest. |
† b. To assign (an honour, etc.)
to a person.
| 1523 Q. Margaret in Mrs. Wood Lett. Illustr. Ladies I. 301 The cause of this is about the benefices, for the governor hath named them to sundry persons, but he..holdeth them in his hands. |
† c. intr. To vote.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1566 in Fowler Hist. C.C.C. (O.H.S.) 111 He hath lost his right of the Colledge for refusinge to name diffinitivelye in Mr. Belly's matter. |
5. a. To mention, speak of, or specify (a person or persons, etc.) by name.
† Also
absol.| c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives viii. 165 Quintianus cwæð..‘ᵹit þu namast Crist?’ Ibid. ix. 37 Nu bidde ic þe..þæt þu nanne bryd-guman næfre me ne namiᵹe. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 156 The knyht also, if I schal name, Danz Petro hihte. a 1425 Cursor M. 5162 (Trin.), Whenne iacob in bed þat lay herde Ioseph named þat day. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 503 He namit na mair the, Nor ane vther man to me. 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. xxviii. 8 Bringe me him vp whom I shal name vnto thee. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 44 b, Herin he named no nation. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. i. ii. 41 Now name the rest of the Players. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. A 2 b, Some of our owne have beene more ingenuous, to name him when they quote him: and thats faire play. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 254 ¶5, I..never hear him named but with Pleasure and Emotion. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest viii, Theodore was not once named. 1817 W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 949 If two ports of discharge are named in the policy [etc.]. 1855 Tennyson Brook 130 He took Her blind and shuddering puppies, naming each. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 296 Tell me to whom among the Athenians he should go. Whom would you name? |
| transf. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. ii, Old Yew, which graspest at the stones That name the under-lying dead. |
b. refl. To announce one's own name.
| 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. ii. 120 Iohn Falstaffe Knight: (Euery man must know that, as oft as hee hath occasion to name himselfe). 1607 ― Cor. iv. v. 63 Necessitie commands me to name my selfe. |
c. to name on (or in) the same day (or † of a day), to bring into comparison or connexion. Only in negative and interrogative sentences.
| c 1606 B. Jonson Epigr. cxxxi, They were not to be named on the same day. a 1641 Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 37 But nor he (Abraham) nor he (David) to be named in the same day with our Saviour. 1694 Congreve Double-Dealer iii. ii, Sir Paul... You may talk of my Lady Froth! Care. O, fy! fy! not to be named of a day. 1839 Lockhart Scott (1900) I. 275 That Scott..was not to be named as a table-companion in the same day with this or that master of..dissertation. |
d. Of the Speaker of the House of Commons: To indicate (a member) by name as guilty of disorderly conduct or disobedience to the chair.
| 1792 Hansard's Parl. Hist. XXX. 113 The Speaker..stated that..he was now compelled to name the member that had given this interruption. 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXV. 302 The Speaker..felt very sorry that it would become his duty to name him. 1881 Hansard's Parl. Deb. CCLVIII. 68 Mr. Speaker, In the terms of the standing order, I Name you..as wilfully disregarding the authority of the Chair. 1928 [see last a. 1 f]. 1972 Guardian 11 Feb. 22/4 The Speaker failed to ‘name’ or suspend Miss Devlin after hitting Mr Maudling. Ibid. 15 Mar. 1/4 Mr Charles Loughlin, MP for Gloucestershire West, was named by the Deputy Speaker after telling him that he ‘did not give a damn’ whether Sir Robert did or did not listen to his point of order. In accordance with the usual custom, the Leader of the House..moved that Mr Loughlin be suspended. |
e. name! Used in Parliamentary practice, or in imitation of this, to demand that a member be named, or that the name of some person alluded to by a speaker shall be given.
| 1817 Parl. Deb. 279 Loud cries of hear, hear, name, name, order. 1859 Reade Love me Little II. 244 Who told you that, aunt? Name; as they say in the House. 1866 Dickens Mugby Junction iii, Miss Piff, trembling with indignation, called out; ‘Name!’ |
f. To specify officially (someone) by name to whom certain political (
usu. Communist) affiliations are imputed,
esp. in South Africa under the Suppression of Communism Act, 1950, and in the
U.S.A. during the period of McCarthyism.
| 1950 Times 9 Mar. 5/3 Senator McCarthy has been ordered by Senator Tydings..to name to-morrow the high State Department official who he has alleged in the Senate intervened to protect an employee who was regarded as a bad security risk. 1952 Economist 31 May 581/3 He [sc. Mr E. S. Sachs] has been ‘named’ by the Minister of Justice as a Communist under the Suppression of Communism Act. 1956 L. Kuper Passive Resistance in S. Afr. ii. viii. 188 For most whites, a ‘named’ person bears a permanent social stigma; he is not acceptable as an employee, or in ordinary intercourse. 1957 S. Adler Isolationist Impulse xv. 460 He [sc. McCarthy] said he could name 205, or 57, or 81 Reds (the numbers usually varied with each harangue) in the State Department. Ibid. 461 He was unable to substantiate these charges by naming one Communist survivor of the Truman purge. 1958 G. M. Carter Politics of Inequality ii. ii. 65 The Minister could then forbid those ‘named’ to take part in any specified organization. But the ‘naming’ process is not essential before taking action, for the Minister..can also prohibit any gathering if it appears to aid the objects of Communism. |
g. To cite as co-respondent in a divorce petition.
| 1971 Yeldham & Carne Rees's Divorce Handbk. (ed. 4) ii. 27 Unless otherwise directed, where a wife's petition alleges adultery with a woman named, the alleged adultress must be made a respondent in this cause. 1971 A. Hunter Gently at Gallop ii. 11 Laing divorced her, naming Berney... Berney was named in another suit, and his first wife petitioned, using that as grounds... He's been named once or twice since then. 1972 Guardian 23 Dec. 24/5 The television actress, Linda Thorson..was named yesterday in a divorce suit. |
6. a. To mention, speak of, or specify (a thing) by its name or usual designation.
| 1382 Wyclif Eph. v. 3 Fornycacioun..and al vnclennesse, or auarice, be not named in ȝou. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 84 Quikselver..the which..Is ferst of thilke fowre named. 1535 Coverdale 1 Cor. v. 1 Soch whordome, as is not once named amonge the Heythen. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. i. 41 Name not Religion, for thou lou'st the Flesh. 1608 ― Per. v. iii. 33 Did you not name a tempest, A birth and death? 1671 Milton Samson 674 Nor do I name of men the common rout. 1732 Pope Ess. Man ii. 193 Nor Virtue, male or female, can we name, But what will grow on Pride, or grow on Shame. 1781 Cowper Conversat. 496 The woes that fear or shame..forbade them once to name. 1819 Shelley Cenci iv. iv. 128 The crimes which mortal tongue dare never name. 1860 Pusey Min. Proph. 582 To name evil is a temptation to evil. |
| transf. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iv. Prol. 16 The Clocks doe towle And the third howre of drowsie Morning name. |
b. To make mention of, to speak about (a fact, circumstance, etc.).
† Also
const. on.
| 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 196 b, The same is named on diverse others as well as on Alexander. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iv. iii. 42 He..Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 228, I was troubled with loosenesse of body, whereof I made good use, as I shall hereafter shew, which makes me name it. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. iv. viii. 218 This Rule will not be impertinent to this Place, being not named before. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 511 My Fellow-Traveller and I had different Notions. I do not name this to insist upon my own. 1729 Pope Let. to Swift 28 Nov., I was once displeas'd before at you, for complaining to Mr. * of my not having a pension, and am so again at your naming it to a certain Lord. 1874 Green Short Hist. ii. §8. 106 The measures we have named were only part of Henry's legislation. |
c. To mention or cite as an instance.
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iv. iv. 173 What comfortable houre canst thou name, That euer grac'd me with thy company? 1690 Locke Hum. Und. i. ii. §23, I would gladly have any one name that proposition whose terms or ideas were either of them innate. |
d. To state, give particulars of.
| 1605 Shakes. Lear i. i. 73, I finde she names my very deede of loue: Onely she comes too short. 1735 Pope Donne Sat. iv. 162 He names the price for ev'ry office paid. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xciii, Hear The wish too strong for words to name. 1864 ― En. Ard. 215 Annie, the ship I sail in passes here (He named the day). |
e. Phr.
you name it, I (or we) have (or have done) it (also with other verbs), everything that you can think of is available, has been done, etc.; also
ellipt.,
you name it.
| 1962 J. Braine Life at Top xviii. 213 You name the drink, we have it. 1964 M. S. Allwood American & British 137 American. You name it! British.{ddd}or whatever you like. 1967 Field & Stream Aug. 63/2 Mallards, gadwall, partridge, quail—you name it—they're up here for the season every year. 1968 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Sept. A. 14/4 Bear Creek, Back River, you name it; the story is the same. 1969 N. Freeling Tsing-Boum vii. 45 What sort of world are they born into anywhere?—hunger, napalm, you name it and we've got it. 1969 Rolling Stone 28 June 17/3 I've written every kind of music there is. You name it, I've written it. All except one thing I couldn't do: rhythm and blues. 1972 D. Lees Zodiac 53 He's been a smuggler, a gun runner, a dope peddler—you name it. 1973 Times 6 Jan. 9/4 Bits of chicken, port, olive— you name it. Ibid. 22 Jan. 9/2 At that time the cops knew me. You name it, I'd done it. 1973 Black Panther 8 Sept. 17/1 I've seen police call people slur names such as nigger, mother fuckers, bitches, whores..you name it, they had a name for it. |
7. With cognate object:
a. To utter or mention (the name of a person or thing).
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Tim. ii. 19 Ech man that nameth the name of the Lord. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 219 b, Thy holy name is inuocate & named vpon vs. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. iii. i. 167 When tongues speak sweetly, then they name her name. 1715 De Foe Fam. Instruct. i. i. (1841) I. 24 It is a..profane thing to name his name on slight occasions. 1820 Shelley Hymn Merc. x, Still scoffing at the scandal, And naming his own name. 1864 Tennyson Aylmer's F. 581 That night, that moment, when she named his name. |
† b. To utter (a word); to say.
Obs.| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 239 Du. Will you vouchsafe with me to change a word? Mar. Name it. ― Tit. A. iii. ii. 33 As if we should forget we had no hands, If Marcus did not name the word of hands. 1593 ― 3 Hen. VI, v. v. 58 What's worse then Murtherer, that I may name it? |
c. to name no names: to refrain from mentioning the names of the people involved in an incident, etc., in order to protect them; often with the implication that the hearer or reader could supply these names.
| 1792 F. Burney Jrnl. June (1972) I. 212 She desired he would name no names, but merely mention that some ladies had been frightened. 1843 Dickens Mart. Chuz. (1844) iv. 46 Naming no names, and therefore hurting nobody but those whose consciences tell them they are alluded to. 1890 Kipling Soldiers Three 12 Av coorse I will name no names, for there's wan that's an orf'cer's lady now, that was in ut. 1908 K. Grahame Wind in Willows iv. 89 The Wild Wood is pretty well populated by now; with all the usual lot, good, bad and indifferent—I name no names. 1919 Beerbohm Seven Men 203 But now my sense of duty forces me To a departure from my custom of Naming no names. One name I must and shall Name. 1972 L. Lamb Picture Frame xiii. 107 You put that tale around, naming no names, at one o' your police smokers, you'll have 'em all rolling in the aisles. |
8. To mention or specify as something desired, suggested, or decided upon; to appoint or fix (a sum, time, etc.).
to name the day: of a woman, to fix her wedding day; also
transf.| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iv. i. 304 Rich. Ile beg one Boone..Shall I obtaine it? Bull. Name it, faire Cousin. 1594 ― Rich. III, iii. iv. 19 But you, my Honorable Lords, may name the time. 1611 Bible Gen. xxiii. 16 Abraham weighed to Ephron the siluer, which he had named. 1638 Earl of Manchester in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 278 To name 24l. a month..is so poor and mean an offer. 1766 Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xvii. 171 ‘Name, then, your day...’ ..She again renewed her..promise of marrying Mr. Williams..and..that day month was fixed upon for her nuptials. 1778 F. Burney Evelina lxxxi, If there is any thing I can name which he can do for me. 1835 Dickens Sk. Boz, Mr. Watkins Tottle ii, I am quite sure that I never could..name the day to my future husband. 1841 ― Let. 25 Mar. (1969) II. 243 Chigwell, my dear fellow, is the greatest place in the world. Name your day for going. 1863 Reade Hard Cash xxxiv, Then he made hot love to her, and pressed her hard to name the day. 1974 Times 9 Feb. 16/6 ‘Heath names the day,’ shrilled the billboards yesterday. And an elderly couple on a bus said: ‘It's about time he got married.’ |
▸
trans.to name and shame: to disclose publicly (perceived) wrongdoing, failure, or weakness on the part of a person or institution; (also) to expose private behaviour to public censure.
Cf. naming and shaming at
naming n. 3.
| 1978 Daily Mirror 9 May 13/4 The parents of these young villains should be named and shamed into accepting their responsibilities. 1996 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 15 June 8 He tells Molly there are 20 million land mines in Angola alone... She finds a cause in naming and shaming those responsible. 1999 Earth Matters (Friends of the Earth) Summer 7/2 Friends of the Earth's Factory Watch Campaign..named and shamed some 100 companies that release large quantities of cancer-causing chemicals. 2004 H. Kennedy Just Law (2005) xii. 253 The case..raised fundamental questions not just about the stigmatisation of those name and shamed, but also about the purpose of the judicial process. |
▪ III. † name, v.2 obscure
var. of
nim v., to take.
| c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 310 Þat a childe in his kyngdome Now late borne he myght him name. |
▪ IV. name pa. tense of
nim v.
Obs.