Namely, 91

NAMELY

eponyms (EP-uh-nimz)

words based on or derived from a person's name.

First Known Use: mid-19^th century

“What’s in a Name?”

Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, 2.2­

91: madeleine: a small cake, baked in a shell-shaped mode (perhaps from Madeleine Paulmier, 19^th -century French pastry cook; first known use of word, 1829)

When Proust reached for a madeleine,

He didn’t know what would ensue—

He didn’t know what he would do—

He didn’t know how he could spin

That cookie into something that

Would be an image so renowned

That how and where and why he found

It puzzled every acrobat

Of words. The answer? Well, no plan.

He just was hungry that grand day

And said in his insouciant way:

“I simply crave a cookie, man!”