Connie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female given name often used as a diminutive of Constance or Cornelia; a term informally applied to a person named Connie
2. A personal name commonly serving as a nickname for longer names like Constance or Cornelia; sometimes used to refer to an individual with this name
3. A familiar or affectionate short form for feminine names such as Constance or Cornelia; also denotes a person who bears this nickname

Etymology: The name Connie is a pet form of Constance, but the word that gave it a second life is an old English word for the rabbit. "Cony" came into Middle English as a back formation from "conies," the plural, which was taken from Anglo-Norman "conis." That French-tinged form traces back to Latin "cunīculus," whose ultimate origin is unknown. The word's relatives across Europe include Dutch "konijn," German "Kaninchen," and Spanish "conejo," so it was once a common everyday term for the animal. Its decline is the surprising part. Because "cony" sounded so much like a vulgar word for part of the female anatomy, speakers gradually avoided it, and "rabbit" and "bunny" took over its place in ordinary speech. The spelling pronunciation rhyming with "bony" eventually became standard, though the original sound was closer to "cunny." The female given name is a diminutive of Constance, and the spelling "Connie" shares its look with the obsolete "cony," but the two come from different sources. The name's roots lie in the Latin "constans," meaning steadfast, rather than in the animal word.

Synonyms: Connie, Constance