Eponyms

What a wonderful word for a not so wonderful character! To quote from w♥︎ordnic:

Goebbelsian: (adjective) of or pertaining to Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), German politician associated with Nazi atrocities under Adolf Hitler.

Joseph Goebbels:
Hitler's Minister of Propaganda

The same source provides these examples of its use:

• He probably thinks that he is where he is because he's some kind of Goebbelsian wizard, but people far more powerful than he have placed him there precisely because he appeals to an audience that brings exactly zero intellectual rigour to the table. 

• Over the last few days they have run a co-ordinated campaign of smears and innuendoes almost Goebbelsian in its mendacity against Carwyn Jones.  

• I do not mean to curb the opinion but the same opinion cannot be trumpeted 80 times; then it becomes Goebbelsian propaganda.  

• What this incident has also done is to expose the bankruptcy of the CPIM allied intellectuals who propagate the falsehoods emanating from their party in a Goebbelsian manner, hoping that a lie repeated a hundred times will become the truth.  

• And at least part of the reason for that is because we have been buying into the Goebbelsian lies of the state: that these tribal movements are all controlled and managed by Naxals/Maoists; or that the tribals are actually being coerced by Maoists; or that there are no tribals, only Maoists.  

• Otherwise, in true Goebbelsian fashion, it will simply be blindly repeating the lies, over and over again, till the lies become the truth. 

Goebbels was Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945 and very effective he was at his job. Words like Goebbelsian can be described as eponymous, meaning named after a person or thing. Here is what The Christian Science Monitor had to say about such words:

The most famous example of an eponymous word is probably sandwich. The story goes that John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, was so busy that he could not stop for dinner. He made culinary history by calling for some grilled beef between two slices of bread. The Oxford English Dictionary has some doubts about this anecdote, allowing only that the sandwich is “said to be named after” the earl. The story first appeared in 1765, around the time British eating establishments began serving “sandwiches,” though, so perhaps it is true.

Another British aristocrat wore a buttoned wool garment while leading the famous Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854 during the Crimean War. Though his cavalry charge was a disaster, the general’s clothing style, paradoxically, proved extremely popular. People today still wear these sweaters, which bear the name of James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan.

Of course the British aristocracy isn’t the sole source of eponyms. Algorithm – “a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end” – comes from the name of a ninth-century Persian mathematician, Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. Al-Khwarizmi wrote a foundational treatise on “al-jabr” (algebra), and also introduced European scholars to the Arabic system of numbering, which, in the Middle Ages, was called algorism in his honor.

Caricature of William
Archibald Spooner

A much later and more absent-minded academic gave us the spoonerism, a verbal error in which the initial sounds of two words are switched. Oxford Professor William Archibald Spooner became famous for saying things along the lines of “The Lord is a shoving leopard” and “Mardon me padam.” He disputed many of the spoonerisms attributed to him, admitting only to the time he began to sing the hymn “Kinkering Congs Their Titles Take,” in 1879. The words are actually “Conquering Kings ...”

Here is a site that tells us a little more about what exactly defines an eponym:

What is an example of an eponym? “Thanks to his Machiavellian antics, Joe got a promotion that he didn’t earn.” In this sentence, the word ‘Machiavellian’ is a reference to the Italian author, Machiavelli. That’s an eponym. What is an eponym? It’s a word that comes from the proper name of a person or place. Eponyms words can be based on both real and fictional people and places.

Some common eponyms are very well known. Others will only be familiar to people who understand the cultural reference. For example, if you say ‘I thought I was sunk when my tool broke, but I totally Macgyver-ed a fix.’, not everyone would understand that. They would have to be familiar with the television show ‘Macgyver’ featuring a character who could build and fix nearly anything from random items he would find, all while saving the world. Other eponyms examples enjoy more notoriety. For example, most adults living in the United States are familiar with the term ‘Obamacare’. However, it isn’t guaranteed that anyone outside of the states would understand that.

Eponyms are frequently created because of the close association between the person or place and the word. Many diseases are named eponymously for the people who discovered them.

There is one other form of Eponym. These are words that are initially brand names but now are used to reference entire categories of things. One of the most popular eponyms is a band-aid. While band-aid is the name brand that makes adhesive bandages, most people use the term to refer to any adhesive bandage, regardless of who makes it. Jello is another example. 

The same site provides these ten examples which include two already mentioned:

1. America

The word America is named after Italian Map maker, Amerigo Vespucci.

2. Caesar Salad

Restaurateur Caesar Cardini created the salad that now bears his name.

3. Boycott

This word is named for an Irish land agent, Captain Charles C. Boycott.

4. Fahrenheit

Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit is the physicist for whom this temperature measurement is named.

Daniel Fahrenheit

5. Zipper

The word zipper started as a branded name. BF Goodrich put this fastener on a pair of boots they sold and called it a zipper. The name stuck, and now the word is used to universally describe this type of fastener.

6. Cardigan

This is named after the 7th Earl of Cardigan. He led troops who wore this garment into battle.

7. Sandwich

While some of the backstories may be lore, it is true that the word sandwich is named for the Earl of Sandwich.

8. Nicotine

Jean Nicot sent powdered tobacco leaves and seeds back to France when he visited Portugal as an ambassador.

9. Diesel

This field, used in trucks and other equipment is named after Rudolph Diesel.

10. Reaganomics

This term is used to describe the economic philosophy of 80s United States president Ronald Reagan. It is used to describe a system where the wealthiest receive tax breaks and fewer regulations. This is then supposed to benefit the entire population.

 Interestingly there are six types of eponyms according to this source:

Simple

Eponyms in which a proper noun has been fully adopted and become the common named of something else.

The Greek figure Atlas holds the world on his shoulders. We now use his name, atlas, as the common term for a book of maps.

The watt is the common name for a unit of electric power named after its developer, James Watt.

Compounds and attributive

Eponyms mix names and descriptions.

The loganberry is named after a US lawyer, James Logan.

A Mieses opening is a move in a game of chess that is named after Jacques Mieses, a grandmaster of the game.

Possessives

Eponyms written in the possessive tense and attribute ownership to their namesake.

Newton’s laws of physics are named for the physicist, Sir Isaac Newton.

The Strait of Magellan is named for Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer.

Suffix-based derivatives

Eponyms in which the name of the person is combined with a suffix to make a new word.

Mesmerism is named after a German physician, Franz Mesmer.

Narcissism is named after the mythical character, Narcissus.

Clippings

Eponyms in which a name has been shortened or adapted.

The word “dunce” is a combination of the middle and last names of Johns Duns Scotus. He was a friar and a theologian who was considered to be a fool.

A “gal” is the name of a unit of measurement of acceleration shortened from the name of the scientist Galileo Galiei.

Blends

Eponyms in which two words are blended together to make a new one.

The word “gerrymander” is a combination of the name Elbridge Gerry and the word salamander, and refers to an unfair practice of dividing voting districts in a city.

The term “Reagonomics” is a combination of the name Reagan and the word economics, and refers to the policies of US President Ronald Reagan.

The same site provides these examples from literature:

• A vast number of titles are eponymous, as literary works are often named after main characters. Here are some examples:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Emma by Jane Austen

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

• In addition to being titles of works, many characters from literature have gone on to have their own eponymous new lives in our language.

Goody-Two Shoes

The original Goody-Two Shoes, was a character in a nursery rhyme. Now we use that name as a derogatory term for someone who is proud of always doing everything right.

The Grinch

We know a grinch as someone who is stingy and gets pleasure from ruining other people’s fun. The original Grinch comes from the Dr. Seuss children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Panic

The word “panic” is actually derived from the Greek god Pan who was known for sneaking up on herds of sheep and goats to surprise them. Easily scared, they would break into uncontrollable fear, also known as panic.