nom de plume

[nom duh ploom, nawn duh plym]

noun

plural

noms de plume 

1. pen name.

nom de plume

/ ˈnɒm də ˈpluːm /

noun

1. another term for pen name

nom de plume

1. French for “pen name”; an invented name under which an author writes. Mark Twain was the nom de plume of Samuel L. Clemens.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nom de plume¹

First recorded in 1815–25; coined in English, from French words: literally, “pen name”

Example Sentences

“Shopaholic” marked her first foray into romance with her famed nom de plume — a mash-up of her middle name and her mother’s maiden name.

From Los Angeles Times

For yes, in case you’ve been living under a giant rockery, George Eliot was a “her,” with several roles other than her nom de plume: daughter, sister, friend, wife, stepmother.

From New York Times

As he explained of his nom de plume, in typically oracular fashion: “One is a beginning and two is the next step. Two is forever.”

From New York Times

Mr. Ingram said his nom de plume was meant to shield his identity as a former member of the Force Research Unit, the undercover British organization that ran Stakeknife as a mole.

From New York Times

She was especially fond of Italy’s culinary culture and its impact on American cooking, and with her name — a nom de plume — and her Mediterranean complexion, she was often taken for Italian.

From New York Times

When To Use

What does nom de plume mean?

A nom de plume is a name, especially a completely fake one, under which an author publishes their work instead of using their real name.The term pen name means the exact same thing. There are many reasons an author may choose to use a nom de plume instead of their own name, such as to avoid controversy or to create a persona. Many women authors throughout history have used a male or gender-neutral nom de plume to get their work published due to bias against women writers. A famous example is Mary Ann Evans, who used the nom de plume George Eliot.The term nom de plume technically only applies to writers, but it is sometimes applied to other artists or as a synonym for the more general term pseudonym (a fake name).The proper plural for nom de plume is noms de plume, but it is often seen as nom de plumes.Example: Many people know that Mark Twain was the nom de plume of Samuel Clemens, but they don't realize he also published as Sieur Louis de Conte.