Etymologically
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sobriquet

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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

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