Biccy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small, flat, crisp baked treat, commonly eaten with tea or coffee, as informally called in Britain
2. An informal British term for a small sweet or plain baked cookie that is crisp and often dunked into a hot drink
3. A casual name for a small crunchy baked snack, typically sweet, that people enjoy with a cup of tea

Etymology: "Biccy" is a British and Australian informal word for a biscuit, and its history is a plain one: it was formed by shortening "biscuit" and adding the diminutive ending "-y". Other English diminutives built the same way include "doggy", "hanky" and "Jimmy", the ending that makes a familiar, affectionate version of a noun. The clipping comes from the first part of the parent word, "biscuit", which itself came into English from Old French "bescuit", meaning twice-cooked, a reference to the old practice of baking bread twice to make it dry and long-lasting for ships and travel. The "-y" ending turns that sturdy, practical object into something cosy and childlike, which is why the word is most often used at home or in the nursery.

Synonyms: biscuit, cookie