Topic 10 (session A) - Prose analysis > Bilgewater: General > Task A > Our answer > the derivation of 'nickname'

Bilgewater: General

Task A: the derivation of 'nickname'?

It is an odd word, and in spite of appearances, has nothing to do with Nick. In Middle English (the language of Chaucer and his contemporaries), the word 'eke' meant 'also'. An 'an eke name' therefore meant 'an also name', an additional name. Sound changes in English since the middle ages have gradually changed the pronunciation of 'an eke name' to 'nickname'.

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