renown

Definitions

From Old French renomer = re- (again, repeatedly) + nomer (to name, from Latin nōmen). Renown is what you get when people name you again and again — the person everyone keeps talking about is the famous one. The spelling drifted from -nomer to -nown through French, hiding the name root.

Why It Means This

Renown literally means being 'named again and again.' In a world before mass media, fame spread by word of mouth — your name physically passing from speaker to speaker. The more your name was repeated, the more renown you had. This is the bright mirror image of ignominy ('no name'): one root, two opposite fates.

Common Collocations

• 1.achieve renown赢得声誉
• 2.international renown国际声望
• 3.of great renown享有盛誉
• 4.gain renown声名鹊起

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The chef won international renown for her seafood dishes.

• 2.

  A scholar of great renown, he was invited to lecture worldwide.

• 3.

  The town's renown rests on a single ancient cathedral.