antonomasia: Meaning and Definition of

an•to•no•ma•sia

Pronunciation: (an"tu-nu-mā'zhu), [key]
— n.
  1. the identification of a person by an epithet or appellative that is not the person's name, as his lordship.
  2. the use of the name of a person who was distinguished by a particular characteristic, as Don Juan or Annie Oakley, to designate a person or group of persons having the same characteristic.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.