Snottie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person, particularly a child, who has a persistently runny nose or who constantly wipes mucus from the nose
2. A young person characterized by having a nose that runs frequently or by appearing to have poor nasal hygiene
3. A child or person whose nose frequently runs or who appears snotty and unkempt from nasal discharge

Etymology: Snottie is a plain formation: the noun "snot" with the diminutive or familiar suffix "-ie" attached, the same ending found in words like "doggie" and "hankie." The suffix turns a bodily substance into a cheerful, childish handle, so the word carries the affectionate tone of a nursery term even though its base is blunt. The base "snot" is itself old English-language material, referring to nasal mucus, and the suffix works the way it does in many informal English nouns, adding a light, familiar quality. Because the pattern is so productive, speakers can attach it to a range of ordinary nouns and make them sound intimate or playful. Snottie is used most often to mean a young person, particularly a child, sometimes with a mocking edge, and in British English it has also been applied to a midshipman in the navy. The sense of "snotty" as a dismissive adjective, meaning snobbish, is a separate development from the same base and should not be confused with the noun.