EPONYMOUS

eponymous, that which gives a name to anything (gr. [greek: eponymos], from [greek: onoma], a name), a term especially applied to the mythical or semi-mythical personages, heroes, deities, &c. from whom a country or city took its name. thus pelops is the giver of the name to the peloponnese. at athens the chief archon of the year was known as the [greek: archon eponymos], as the year was known by his name. there was a similar official in ancient assyria. in ancient times, as in historical and modern cases, a country or a city has been named after a real personage, but in many cases the person has been invented to account for the name.