nickname
noun
- substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing expressive affection
verb
- assign a nickname
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈnɪkneɪm/
noun
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.
- 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.
“"The Big Apple" is a common nickname for New York City.”
“[…] Plato, who was named Aristocles after his grandfather, but received from his gymnastic master the nickname Πλάτων (from πλάτυς, broad), which practically superseded his real name.”
- A familiar, shortened or diminutive name for a person or thing.
“My name is Jonathan, but I go by my nickname, Johnny.”
verb
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.
- To give a nickname to (a person or thing).
“Gerald, nicknamed "Jerry", was usually a very cheerful person.”
“He was nicknamed Chemical Ali by Iraqi Kurds, who also called him the Butcher of Kurdistan”