Byword


a word or phrase associated with some person or thing; a characteristic expression, typical greeting, or the like.
a word or phrase used proverbially; common saying; proverb.
an object of general reproach, derision, scorn, etc.:
His crimes will make him a byword through the ages.
an epithet, often of scorn.
Contemporary Examples

Was Rick Santorum Right About Polygamy After All? Justin Miller December 15, 2013
12 Ways Catholicism is More Radical Than Pope Francis Nathan Schneider February 8, 2014
A Horror Story of True-Life Anti-Semitism in France Tracy McNicoll April 27, 2014
Google Invests in Drone Company Airware Quartz May 14, 2013

Historical Examples

A Country Doctor and Selected Stories and Sketches Sarah Orne Jewett
Captain Blood Rafael Sabatini
Woman on Her Own, False Gods & The Red Robe Eugne Brieux
England and Germany Emile Joseph Dillon
Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon Austen H. Layard
The Soul of a People H. Fielding

noun
a person, place, or thing regarded as a perfect or proverbial example of something: their name is a byword for good service
an object of scorn or derision
a common saying; proverb
n.

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