sobriquet

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsoʊ.bɹɪ.keɪ/, /ˈsoʊ.bɹɪ.kɛt/; /ˈsəʊ.bɹɪ.keɪ/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French sobriquet (“nickname”),^[2][3][4][5] from Middle French soubriquet,^[2][3][5] said to mean literally “a chuck under the chin”,^[5][2][3] a word of unknown origin.^[2][3] The first element is perhaps from Latin sub (“under”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An epithet or nickname (1646).^[6][2][4]

Semantic evolution

In French soubriquet also meant a jest or quip,^[3] which may explain how a playful chuck under the chin became a nickname.^[3] In English it has always meant a nickname,^[6][4] often an affectionate or humorous one,^[5] or an assumed name.^[5][1]

Timeline

• 15th century – French soubriquet.^[3]
• 1646 – a nickname.^[6][2][4]
• 1842 – verb, to nickname.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A nickname, especially an affectionate or humorous one.
2. An assumed name.

Word family

• sobriquetical

Related words

• soubriquet
• nickname
• moniker
• epithet

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press