Libby

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A familiar short form of the female given name Elizabeth ; a small city in the northwest corner of the state of Montana in the United States
2. A pet form of the woman's name Elizabeth ; an incorporated town in the northwestern part of Montana, near the Kootenai River
3. A diminutive nickname used for someone named Elizabeth ; a place name referring to a community in northwestern Montana, United States

Etymology: "Libby" is a pet form of "Elizabeth," the name of a biblical woman whose Hebrew original, "Elisheba," is usually glossed as "God is my oath." The name reached English through Greek and Latin, and English speakers shortened it in several ways. "Liz" and "Lizzie" come from the front of the name, while "Libby" keeps the "Lib" sound and adds the affectionate "-by" ending, the same kind of suffix found in "Bobby" and "Betty." The name is also familiar today as a brand: Libby is a reading app from OverDrive that lets library members borrow e-books and audiobooks. The app takes its name from the ordinary given name rather than from an acronym or a coined word.