The Names That Remained

A person's name can outlive its owner and lose its capital letter. Sometimes the story is documented, sometimes a familiar explanation has grown in the telling. These names show both possibilities.

In approximate historical order, from the origins and events behind the words.

1. mentor (n.)a guide's name
2. dunce (n.)a scholar's name became an insult
3. quixotic (adj.)a character became a quality
4. silhouette (n.)a minister's name in an outline
5. sandwich (n.)an earl's name at the lunch table
6. maverick (n.)first an unbranded animal
7. boycott (v.)a man's name became an action

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