onomastic noun & adjective. [ɒnǝ'mastɪk] L16.
[Greek onomastikos pertaining to naming, from onoma name: see -IC.]
A. noun.
1. = ONOMASTICON. Only in L16.
2. A writer of an onomasticon; a lexicographer. L16-E18.
3. In pl. (treated as sing.). The branch of knowledge that deals with the origin and formation of (esp. personal) proper names. M20.
B. adjective.
1. Of or relating to names, naming, or nomenclature. E18.
American Speech An interesting..onomastic question is whether names can be said to be translatable.
2. Of a signature on a legal document: (orig.) made by signing one's name as opp. to leaving a seal or mark; (later) applied by a person to a document in the handwriting of another. E19.

■ onomastician [-'stɪʃ(ǝ)n] noun an expert in or student of onomastics L20.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲