toponym (noun) - a descriptive, associative, or commemorative name of a place; a word derived from a placename, real or fictional [top-uh-nim]
BREAKDOWN: TOPO- (place) + -ONYM (name)
toponymy is the study of placenames, their origins, meanings, and evolution
See also: contronym, eponymous, metonym
“Every bookshop is a condensed version of the world… It is not an international frontier you must cross but a footstep--a mere footstep--you must take to change topography, toponyms, and time: a volume first published in 1976 sits next to one launched yesterday, which has just arrived; a monograph on prehistoric migrations cohabits with a study of the megalopolis in the twentieth-first century; the complete works of Camus precede those of Cervantes... It is not a main road, but rather a set of stairs, perhaps a threshold, maybe not even that...” —Jorge Carrión
[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]