There are many ways to have your name remembered generations after your death. They include winning or losing a battle, founding a city, and leading your country. The ideal would be, of course, to have those future generations remember exactly what your achievements were, but you cannot always have everything.
The English language does have words which are named after actual people. Some of these words are so common that the person himself (no women in this list, but I am willing and happy to add one if you know of any woman words) has been mostly or completely forgotten. Take Mr. Leotard, whose practical garment is worn by millions of dancers around the world. Sadly, nobody even gives even a thought. The following list shows eleven terms in English of not-so-famous people:
Word | Meaning | Person | Reason |
1. Mesmerize | captivate | Mr. Mezmere | French personality who "hypnotized" his hosts |
2. Leotards | tights | Mr. Leotard | Circus performer who needed garment that did not hinder him |
3. Quisling | traitor | Mr. Quisling | Norwegian leader who cooperated with the Nazis |
4. Crap | defecate | Sir Thomas Crapper | Inventor of flush toilet |
5. Real McCoy | genuine | Mr. McCoy | Prohibition era smuggler of (real) rum from Jamaica |
6. John Hancock | signature | John Hancock | Signer of declaration of independence with a large signature |
7. Sandwich | Lunch food | Earl of Sandwich | Apparently, a noble who had trouble keeping staff |
8. Decibel | Sound measure | Alexander Graham Bell | Pioneer in the study of sound |
9. Pasteurize | Milk treatment | Louis Pasteur | Discovered source of milk contamination and how to prevent it |
10. Cup of Joe | coffee | Admiral Joe | Banned alcohol for British sailors |
11. Grog | Rum drink | Admiral Grog | Added water to the rum rations to British sailors |
To paraphrase Shakespeare, is it better to have been remembered and then forgotten or not to have been remembered at all?
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