Tintin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The fictional young reporter who stars in a famous Belgian comic series by Hergé ; a light ringing or tinkling sound like small bells
2. A cartoon detective hero from a popular European comic book series created by Hergé ; the bright jingling sound that small bells make
3. The adventurous reporter character of a classic Belgian comic created by Hergé ; a faint, tinkling noise like a tiny bell

Etymology: Tintin is the boy reporter created by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé, whose real name was Georges Remi. The first adventure, "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets," ran in a Belgian newspaper supplement in 1929, and the character became the most famous figure in European bande dessinée. The name itself has no deep etymology: it is a simple doubling of a child's word, a playful nickname that sounds bright and quick, the sort of sound-pattern French and Belgian children's speech often uses. Hergé chose the name partly because it was easy to say in many languages, and it suited a character who was small, boyish, and always on the move. Its nursery-rhyme quality is a large part of why it travelled so well. Readers in translation rarely needed it explained, and the name became a shorthand for an intrepid young investigator. Because the character is so widely known, the word has been used as a common noun in English and other languages to mean a fearless, inquisitive reporter or detective figure, especially one who travels the world uncovering wrongdoing.