Jeff

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A common masculine personal name often used as a short form of Jeffrey or Geoffrey
2. A male first name typically derived from longer names such as Jeffrey, used informally
3. A boy's name that is commonly employed as a nickname for certain traditional English given names

Etymology: "Jeff" is a short form of Jeffrey or Geoffrey, and the name behind both goes back to the Germanic elements "gawia" (district, territory) and "frithu" (peace), a pairing that sounds more like a medieval lord's title than a modern nickname. Geoffrey arrived in England with the Normans in the form "Geoffroi," and the Old French name spread through medieval Europe as a dynastic favourite among the counts of Anjou and their relations. The short form "Jeff" is recorded from 1837, a date that places it in the period when English speakers were turning longer given names into friendly diminutives. The pattern is familiar from Bill, Bob and Dick, and "Jeff" followed the same route from a formal name to an informal one. Its origin is the same as the longer names it shortens, so the nickname carries the old meaning of "peace of the land" without anyone using it that way.

Synonyms: Jeffrey, Geoffrey