Monday, 25 January 2016

etymology - Why are nicknames called "nicknames"?

A more natural, and logical guess by backward extrapolation would be based on nick rather than ick/ eace:



nick: a short cut, a notch. Hence 'nickname', a short name.



Nick: the devil. Whence, apart from the actual name, an endearing term for that little devil, a 'nickname'.

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