Hancock

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A person's distinctive handwritten mark or autograph, especially one used to sign documents
2. An individual's personal written signature or initials used to authenticate or authorize something
3. Someone's distinctive hand-signed mark serving as their official or personal endorsement

Etymology: "Hancock" is a personal name, not a common word, and its history is that of a given name turned surname. It is built from "Hann," a short form of "John," with "cock," a medieval diminutive suffix, so the whole means something like "little John." The same pattern appears in other English surnames such as Wilcock and Simcock, where the diminutive attaches to another familiar name. The suffix "-cock" was used to make pet forms and affectionate nicknames, a usage that helped produce many surnames in medieval England. Its connection to the bird is coincidental; the suffix shares a form with "cock" but not its meaning as a diminutive.