Nickname

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnɪkneɪm/

Definitions

1. A familiar and affectionate substitute for a person's actual name, which reflects their personality or characteristics, often used in informal settings
2. An informal name used instead of a person's given name, often reflecting traits or familiarity
3. A casual or shortened name people use to address someone based on personal qualities or relationships

Etymology: The word began as "ekename," which combined "eke," meaning "additional," with "name." An ekename was an extra name added to someone's given name. Over time speakers misdivided the phrase: "an ekename" was heard as "a nekename," and the initial n migrated onto the noun, leaving "eke" behind as a word that survives mainly in the phrase "eke out." This kind of misdivision is not unique to this word. English has several others that shifted the same way, including "apron," which was once "napron," and "newt," once "ewt." Each began when the article "a" or "an" was reattached to the noun, a process linguists call rebracketing. The "n" moved in the same way in "orange" and "umpire," where the cause was similar. Old Norse had a parallel form, "aukanafn," meaning an additional name, and related words appear across Scandinavian and Low German languages. This suggests the underlying idea of an extra name was widespread in the Germanic-speaking world before English settled on its own version.

Synonyms: moniker, alias, appellation, title, label