Definition of "patronymic" [pa•tro•nym•ic]

• Of, relating to, or derived from the name of one's father or a paternal ancestor. (adjective)
• A name so derived. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And the listings are organized alphabetically by first name (since the patronymic is not really a “name.”)"
• "No patronymic is ever bestowed on him; instead he draws his name from the soil, as if to declare his chthonic affinity with Adam."
• "Bjork’s Icelandic patronymic is correctly spelled Guðmundsdóttir."