nickname
/ˈnɪkneɪm
/noun
A familiar or humorous name given to a person or thing instead of or as well as the real name: Mallender’s fair complexion gave rise to his nickname ‘Ghost’...
- There are a lot of different kinds of railway cars, their names and nicknames familiar to most people, but there are only a few that bear the name of their inventor.
- Will had given their proper names, instead of their shortened nicknames.
- Many Vikings also had a nickname which was used instead of their family name.
Synonyms
sobriquet, byname, tag, label, familiar name, epithet;
pet name, diminutive, term of endearment, endearment, affectionate name
informal moniker
formal appellation, cognomen
archaic byword, eke-name, to-name
verb [with object and complement]
Give a nickname to: an area nicknamed Sniper’s Alley...
- He was nicknamed Starlight because his character changed so much once the stars appeared.
- London has been nicknamed Harare North; Edmonton in Canada has been christened Bulawayo.
- Miss Wilcox had worn the cap almost every day since buying it a year ago and was nicknamed Ted and Edward because of the brand name.
Origin
Late Middle English: from an eke-name (eke meaning 'addition': see eke2), misinterpreted, by wrong division, as a neke name.
In the Middle Ages a nickname was an eke-name, or ‘an additional name’— eke meant ‘additional’. People misinterpreted an eke-name as a neke name or, later, a nickname. See also newt
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