nickname

Meanings

Noun

• A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic.
• A familiar, shortened or diminutive name for a person or thing.

Verb

• To give a nickname to (a person or thing).

Related

Similar words

• handle, hypocoristic, moniker, nick, sobriquet, pet name

Origin

• From Middle English nekename, alteration (due to a rebracketing of an ekename as a nekename) of earlier ekename, from eke + name. Compare Old Norse aukanafn, auknafn, auknefni, Faroese eyknevni ("nickname"), Danish øgenavn ("nickname"), and German Low German Ökelname ("nickname").
• For other similar cases of incorrect division, see also apron, daffodil, newt, orange, umpire.