Meaning

noun a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name)

originUnknown; first attested in 1849. Suggested derivations are: * Backslang for ekename (compare nickname); * From Shelta munik, munika; * From monk; * Partridge (A Dictionary of Historical Slang) suggests a corruption of monogram, which is suggestive of the sense signature. * From monarch in the sense 'king or No. 1, and thus with frank egotism, "I, myself".' (The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 281, pg.…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0