nickname

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English neke name, alteration (due to a rebracketing of an ekename as a nekename) of earlier ekename (“nickname”), from eke (“additional”) + name. Compare Old Norse aukanafn, auknafn, auknefni, Faroese eyknevni, Danish øgenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk aukenamn, Swedish öknamn, and German Low German Ökelname. For other similar cases of incorrect division, see also apron, daffodil, newt, orange, umpire. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈnɪkneɪm/ === Noun === nickname (plural nicknames) 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. ==== Usage notes ==== Nicknames are often given in quotation marks between the first and last names. For example: Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. ==== Synonyms ==== (familiar invented given name): byname, handle, moniker, nick; sobriquet (literary); cognomen (historical, literary, or humorous; uncommon); surname, eponym (obsolete) ==== Hyponyms ==== (familiar invented given name): hypocoristic, pet name (affectionate nicknames); see epithet (invented names used alongside the actual name) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → German: Nickname → Japanese: ニックネーム (nikkunēmu) → Korean: 닉네임 (ningneim) → Russian: никне́йм (niknéjm) ==== Translations ==== === Verb === nickname (third-person singular simple present nicknames, present participle nicknaming, simple past and past participle nicknamed) (transitive) To give a nickname to (a person or thing). ==== Translations ==== ==== References ====