The giving of the nickname would frequently be done through a formal ceremony and gift exchange known as nafnfestr (which literally means 'fastening a name' in Old Norse).Īffectionate diminutive names are frequently used in Indian societies, with popular choices being 'Babu', 'Raju', 'Gudiya' and 'Ritu', while Australians will often go for more ironic choices of nickname – for example, calling a very tall man 'Shorty' or an overweight man 'Slim'. Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, Viking raiders would often use nicknames (which they would call viðrnefni, kenningarnöfn or heiti in Old Norse), and these names would sometimes impart a special status, creating a relationship between the person with the nickname and the original name maker. Nicknames have been used frequently in a number of societies. The spelling may have evolved since then, but the meaning has remained relatively stable across the centuries. The earliest recorded example of this is in 1303, but by the fifteenth century, the syllables in the word had been misdivided, and it was now rephrased and known better as a 'nekename'. The word actually comes from an Old English compound word 'ekename', which literally meant 'additional name' (coming from the Old English word ' eaca', meaning 'to increase'). They can act as both a sign of acceptance and of ridicule, while in terms of defining nicknames, there are different types – a hypocoristic is a name that's used affectionately between people with a strong emotional bond, while a diminutive is a nickname that's designed to evoke smallness, and can either be positive or negative. Nicknames come in all shapes and sizes, and have been around as an idea for centuries.
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