Wolsie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A familiar, informal nickname for Thomas Wolsey, the powerful English cardinal and statesman who served Henry VIII
2. An affectionate diminutive used to refer to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the sixteenth-century English churchman and royal adviser
3. A casual short form for the name of Thomas Wolsey, the influential Tudor cardinal who held high office under King Henry VIII

Etymology: The "-ie" ending is a common diminutive in British and Australian slang, as in "brekkie" for breakfast and "arvie" for arvo. That makes "wolsie" most likely a clipped or pet form of a longer word, probably built on a name that begins "Wols-", but I cannot confirm which base word it comes from. The strongest candidate is the surname Wolsey, which also gave its name to a fine lisle thread used in stockings, but I have not verified that a link exists. Without a documented source for the base, the exact origin and the date it entered use remain unknown.