nickname

[nik-neym]

noun

1. a name added to or substituted for the proper name of a person, place, etc., as in affection, ridicule, or familiarity.

   He has always loathed his nickname of “Whizzer.”

2. a familiar form of a proper name, as Jim for James and Peg for Margaret.

verb (used with object)

nicknamed, nicknaming 

1. to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.

2. Archaic.,  to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.

nickname

/ ˈnɪkˌneɪm /

noun

1. a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place

   his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed

2. a shortened or familiar form of a person's name

   Joe is a nickname for Joseph

verb

1. (tr) to call by a nickname; give a nickname to

Other Word Forms

• nicknamer noun
• unnicknamed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nickname¹

1400–50; late Middle English nekename, for ekename (the phrase an ekename being taken as a nekename ). See eke ², name; newt

Word History and Origins

Origin of nickname¹

C15 a nekename, mistaken division of an ekename an additional name, from eke addition + _name

Example Sentences

They are widely nicknamed body brokers, though the firms call themselves "non-transplant tissue banks".

From BBC

The nickname is short for "ketamine pods" and refers to how etomidate has similar effects to ketamine.

From BBC

The readers who have nicknamed her “EmHen” have probably read them all.

From Los Angeles Times

Most famous was the South African woman cruelly nicknamed the "Hottentot Venus" who had once been put on display in Europe and whose body was taken home in 2012.

From BBC

These measures are aimed at addressing the perennial problems of troop shortages and low morale - soldiers previously complained of poor training and were nicknamed "strawberry soldiers" for their perceived softness.

From BBC

Related Words

• epithet 
• moniker 
• sobriquet 
• style 
• tag