Nicknames

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Informal or affectionate alternative names are typically used in place of official names to express familiarity, describe traits, or indicate endearment for people, animals, or things
2. Names used instead of official ones to show closeness or characterize a person or object
3. Familiar or casual titles given to someone or something to reflect personality or relationship

Etymology: The word began as "ekename," and the "n" that now starts it was never there to begin with. In Middle English, "eke" meant "additional," so an ekename was an extra name added to a person's given name. Speakers came to hear "an ekename" as "a nekename," and the "n" slid across the article, leaving "a nickname" behind. The same kind of misdivision gave English "apron" (from "a napron") and "newt" (from "an ewt"), and it is a good example of how words can be rebuilt by mishearing a boundary. The second half of the word, "name," has stayed put, and the pattern of an extra name added to a real one has held across related languages. Old Norse had "aukanafn," German dialects had "Ökelname," and Swedish has "öknamn," all built from the same "eke" idea. English is the odd one out only in the shifted "n."

Synonyms: aliases, monikers