nom de plume
Preserved but no longer current.
English-French for "pen name," or pseudonym, the name assumed by a writer, cartoonist, etc., who does not choose to give his own to the public; as Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte), Fiona McLeod (William Sharp), Henry Seton Merriman (Hugh Stowell Scott), etc. Occasionally, as in the case of Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) and De Stendhal (Mane Henri Beyle), the assumed name quite replaces the true name.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “nom de plume” mean?
English-French for "pen name," or pseudonym, the name assumed by a writer, cartoonist, etc., who does not choose to give his own to the public; as Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte), Fiona McLeod (William Sharp), Henry Seton Merriman (Hugh Stowell Scott), etc. Occasionally, as in the case of Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) and De Stendhal (Mane Henri Beyle), the assumed name quite replaces the true name.
Is “nom de plume” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.