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what's in a name. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
what's in a name, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
what's in a name in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Coined by William Shakespeare in 1597 in "Romeo and Juliet," act 2, scene 2:
- What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
- By any other name would smell as sweet.
Phrase
what's in a name
- Used to argue that something's name is arbitrary and does not give any information as to its qualities; the names of things do not affect what they really are.
Further reading