noun
nickname
NIHK-naym
noun
1
An informal, often affectionate or descriptive name used instead of someone's real name.
"His nickname at school was "Ginger" because of his hair."
verb
1
To give someone or something a nickname.
"They nicknamed the old car "the Beast"."
How to Use Nickname
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA casual alternative name for someone or something, usually based on a trait or joke.
Memory tip
The word itself is a fun example of a "misdivision" — the n originally belonged to the word before it, not to "name".
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
go by the nickname
earn a nickname
nicknamed after
Word Forms
nicknamed past tense, nicknames plural, nicknames singular
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Fill the Gap
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His _____ at school was "Ginger" because of his hair.
Etymology
From Middle English an ekename ("an additional name"), which was misheard and re-divided as "a nekename" — the same kind of slip that gave us "an apron" from "a napron".