Bertie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A familiar nickname given to men whose full names are Albert, Herbert or Bertram
2. A short, affectionate form of the first names Albert, Herbert or Bertram used mainly among friends and family
3. An informal diminutive for people christened Albert, Herbert or Bertram, often used in British speech

Etymology: "Bertie" is a pet form of "Albert", built by adding the diminutive ending "-ie" to a shortened form of the name. The "-ie" suffix is a familiar English way of turning names and nouns into affectionate or familiar forms, as in "Johnnie", "Charlie" and "Sally", and it is the same ending that gives us "doggie" and "birdie". The name it comes from, Albert, is of Germanic origin, built from elements meaning roughly "noble" and "bright", and it reached English through French and Latin forms of the name. Nicknames such as "Bertie" and "Bert" are what everyday speakers used for the name, and the familiar form became so common that it often stands alone as a given name in its own right.