Susanne

A female given name from German [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], variant of Susan.


Abhishikt

From Sanskrit अभिषिक्त (abhiṣikta, “a person on whom the ceremony of Abhisheka has performed”).

der

(rare) A male given name from Sanskrit, of Indian usage.


Lacy

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, variant of Lacey.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly 19th century usage, variant of Lacey.

Caught a glimpse of Lacy squatted like she was pissing […].

2022, Sean Thor Conroe, Fuccboi, Hachette, →ISBN:

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage, variant of Lacey.


Ulrica

A feminine form of the male given name Ulric (modern German Ulrich), Germanic for "ruler of all" or "wolf[like] ruler".

Farewell, Front-de-Boeuf! — May Mista, Skogula, and Zernebock, gods of the ancient Saxons – fiends, as the priests now call them – supply the place of comforters at your dying bed, which Ulrica now relinquishes!

1819, Walter Scott, chapter XXX, in Ivanhoe:

"Forever is a word forbidden to men," asserted Ulrica and, to lighten the emphasis, she asked me to repeat my name, which she had not caught. "Javier Otárola," I told her. She tried to repeat it and couldn't. I failed, equally, with the name Ulrikke.

1975, Jorge Luis Borges, “Ulrica”, in The Book of Sand:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, rare in English.


Tammie

A female given name, a spelling variant of Tammy.


Tamsin

Medieval contraction of Thomasina, a feminine form of Thomas, revived in the UK in the twentieth century.


Tayla

A female given name, an invention based on Taylor from the 1990s.


Tonia

A short form of the female given name Antonia.


Tricia

A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.


Velma

Coined at the end of the 19th century, by analogy with Thelma and Wilma.

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Verna

Coined in the 19th century, from Latin vernus (“spring-like”) or as a feminine of Vernon.

I dislike peppermint flavouring to this day. And the name Verna — I dislike that. It doesn't sound like spring to me, or like green grass or garlands of flowers or girls in flimsy dresses. It sounds more like a trail of obstinate peppermint, […]

2009, Alice Munro, Too Much Happiness, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 196:


Veronica

From the Latin form of Berenice, from Ancient Greek Φερενίκη (Phereníkē). Influenced by the Church Latin phrase vera icon ("true image") associated with the veil of Saint Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus on the way to Calvary, resulting in an image of his face miraculously appearing on the veil. Doublet of Berenice.

My own name, Veronica — an ugly enough thing I had always thought, it sounded like either the ointment or the disease — was one her great favourites. St Veronica wiped the face of Christ on the road to Calvary and He left His face on her tea towel. Or the picture of His face. It was the first-ever photograph, she said.

2007, Anne Enright, The Gathering, Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 128:


Zara

A 20th-century variant of Sarah, or explained as Arabic زَهْرَة (zahra, “flower”); given to the daughter of Princess Anne in 1981.

A female given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], variant of Sarah.

A female given name.
A female given name from Arabic.

While the plane is “perfectly capable” of making the trip without these modifications, Zara’s father Sam Rutherford says these changes have given both him and Zara an extra sense of security.

2021 August 18, Rebecca Cairns, “This teenage aviator hopes to be the youngest woman to fly solo around the world”, in CNN:


Zoey

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a phonetic spelling of Zoë.


Thunderer

(British, informal) The Times newspaper.


Caledonian

I congratulate the Caledonians on the acquiſition of this new Saint, but wonder if the German crows were ſo civil to refrain from ſo ſavoury a Scotch haggiſs.

1717 January 16 (Old Style), Lady Mary W. Montague [i.e. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu], “Original Letter of Lady Mary W. Montague, Never before Published. Found Lately amongst the Papers of a Lady Deceased.”, in The Scots Magazine; or General Repository of Literature, History, and Politics, volume LXI (volume VI, New Series), Edinburgh: [Printed by Alex[ander] Chapman and Co.] Sold by James Watson, No. 40. South Bridge, and by the principal booksellers in Town and Country and by T. Kay, Strand, London, published February 1799, →OCLC, pages 101–102:

In the early 1770s the bogey figure for opposition politicians was arguably not so much North in the Commons as Mansfield behind the curtain, the country's greatest lawyer (and another Caledonian to gratify the Scotophobes) keeping an irresolute Cabinet committed to waging war in America.

2004, Barry Coward, Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theory in Early Modern Europe: From the Waldensians to the French Revolution:

In front a staff sergeant with the new Royal Caledonians was gassing about Scullion and the regiment. 'And this major's a total fucking mentalist,' he said. 'What's mental about him?' asked the lance corporal beside him.

2015, Andrew O'Hagan, The Illuminations, →ISBN, page 39:

A native or inhabitant of Caledonia; a Scot.

Someone from the ancient Celtic tribe (or group of tribes) called Caledonians, in Scotland


Kikongo

From Kongo ki- + Kongo, the prefix indicating inanimate or abstract nouns, and used to form language names. Attested in English since the late nineteenth century; Kongo appears earlier in the century.


Brooklynn

A female given name transferred from the place name, variant of Brooklyn.


Chance

en-proper noun

Chance (countable and uncountable, plural Chances)

A male given name from English, an American pet form of Chauncey, in modern usage also associated with the word chance.


Chauncey

From the Norman name based on several locations in France called Chancé. See Old French chance.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Kian

A male given name from Irish, anglicized spelling of Cian.


Killian

An anglicized spelling of Irish Cillian.


Cedric

→ Finnish: Sedrik

→ French: Cédric m

→ French: Cédrika f

Invented by Walter Scott for Ivanhoe, possibly misread for Cerdic, name of a Saxon king, anglicized from Welsh caredig (“beloved”), in which case a doublet of Caradoc, Caradog, Caratacus, Craddock, Cradock, McCarthy, and McCarty. Alternatively Scott based Cedric on the Welsh name Cedrych (“spectacular bounty”).

dbt

In a hall, the height of which was greatly disproportioned to its extreme length and width, a long oaken table, formed of planks rough-hewn from the forest, and which had scarcely received any polish, stood ready prepared for the evening meal of Cedric the Saxon.

"It's Cedric Errol, Lord Fauntleroy," answered Cedric. "That's what Mr. Havisham called me. - - -

1886, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Chapter 2:


Flynn

Anglicized from Irish Ó Floinn, "descendant of Flann (red)".


Esme

A unisex given name from French.
A male given name from French.

A unisex given name from French.
A female given name from French.


Esme

A diminutive of the female given name Esmeralda.


Esmé

Esmés (plural)
Esme (alternative)
Esmée (alternative)
Esmee (alternative)

First recorded as a male given name in Scotland in the sixteenth century, probably from French esmé (“esteemed”), or confused with Aimé / Aimée.

unk

probably

A female given name from French, simplified spelling of the feminine form Esmée


Granville

The commune of France is from Old French Granville, Grandvilla, Grande Villa, Grandivilla, from grant (“grand”) + ville (“settlement”). The surname is of Norman baronial origin, from Grainville, a former commune in Normandy, from the given name Guarin + ville, meaning “Guarin's town”. Guarin ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *warduz (“guard”).


Ivor

→ Welsh: Ifor

Medieval form of Old Norse Ívarr. Doublet of Igor.

I'd weave through the throng — scanning for empties to return while flirting, sniffing out kids smoking grass and sharing smokes with Ivor and Carl on the door. With a name like Carl you can imagine a six-foot tall and wide bouncer, but Ivor...I couldn't but help to think of the name as belonging to a skinny Welshman getting sand kicked into his face. His name didn't do him justice — this guy was almost as big as Carl and probably faster with his fists.

2004, David W. Scott, The Disillusioned:A Story of Our Times, Fraser Books, →ISBN, page 204:


Colby

en-proper noun

Colby (countable and uncountable, plural Colbys)

From either the Old Norse personal name Koli or kol (“charcoal”) + býr (“settlement”).


Jaxon

Jaxons (plural)
Jaxxon (alternative)
Jaxson (alternative)
Jackson (alternative)

en:Jaxon (disambiguation)
en:Jaxon (name)

A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage, variant of Jackson.


Grayson

Grayson (countable and uncountable, plural Graysons)

From Middle English greyve (“steward”) + -son.


astricted

en-adj

astricted (comparative more astricted, superlative most astricted)

more astricted (comparative)
most astricted (superlative)

(Scots law, historical, of land) From which corn must be sent to a particular mill, paying multure or thirlage on it.


chantry

From Middle English chaunterie, from Old French chanterie, from chanter (“to sing”).


Keegan

Keegans (plural)
Keagan (alternative)
Egan (alternative)

Borrowed from Irish Mac Aodhagáin (“son of Aidan”).

bor+

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Keegan

Keegans (plural)
Kigan (alternative)
Kegan (alternative)


Kendall

From the placename Kendal in Cumbria, "valley of the river Kent", and Kendale in Humberside, from Old Norse kelda (“spring”) + dalr (“valley”).

Kendal (alternative)
Kendell (alternative)
Kindall (alternative)

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.

census-designated place
census-designated place

Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County#English

A number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida.


Landon

Place names in England, from Old English lang (“long”) + dūn (“hill”).


Leigh

From the nominative case of Old English lēah (“wood, meadow”), 'dweller by the wood or clearing'.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

(UK) A female given name, female equivalent of Lee.


Lonnie

(US) A pet form of the male given name Alonzo.


Lachlan

en-proper noun

Lachlan (countable and uncountable, plural Lachlans)

From Scottish Gaelic Lachlann, Lochlann (“land of the lochs, loch or fjord land, i.e. Scandinavia”), said to refer to an immigrant from Norway, a Norseman.

(countable) A male given name from Scottish Gaelic mainly used in Scotland, recently also popular in Australia.


Mathew

A male given name from Hebrew, of occasional usage, variant of Matthew.


Nelson

Nelson (countable and uncountable, plural Nelsons)

From Middle English Neil + -son and Nell + -son.
* In the United States, also an Anglicisation of North Germanic (Scandinavian) surnames such as Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson, equivalent to "son of Nicholas".

Africans of my generation - and even today - generally have both a Western and an African name. Whites were either unable or unwilling to pronounce an African name, and considered it uncivilized to have one. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why she bestowed this particular name upon me I have no idea. Perhaps it had something to do with the great British sea captain Lord Nelson, but that would only be a guess.

1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom:


pollard

From poll (“head, scalp”) + -ard. The coin sense derives from the original penny's uncrowned obverse bust, as opposed to the laurel-wreathed form appearing on the rosary. The verb derives from the noun.

The enclosure was indeed little beyond that of a good-sized paddock – its boundaries were visible on every side – but swelling uplands, covered with massy foliage sloped down to its wild irregular turf soil – soil poor for pasturage, but pleasant to the eye; with dell and dingle, bosks of fantastic pollards – dotted oaks of vast growth – here and there a weird hollow thorn-tree – patches of fern and gorse.

1857, Pisistratus Caxton [pseudonym; Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in What will He Do with It? (Collection of British Authors; CCCCVII), Tauchnitz edition, volume I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, →OCLC, book II, page 140:

Only a little pollard hedge kept us from their blood-shot eyes.

1869, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, “Chapter 65”, in Lorna Doone:

Nothing was to be seen save flat meadows, cows feeding unconcernedly for the most part, and silvery pollard willows motionless in the warm sunlight.

1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 98:

And at this place there was a long, straight causeway, with two long rows of pollard willows, one upon either hand.

1903, Howard Pyle, The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, Part III, Chapter Third, page 116

(often attributive) A pruned tree; the wood of such trees.

Squalius cephalus
Squalius cephalus#Translingual

Leuciscus cephalus
Leuciscus cephalus#Translingual

(obsolete, rare) A European chub (Squalius cephalus, syn. Leuciscus cephalus), a kind of fish.

(now Australia) A fine grade of bran including some flour. The fine cell layer between bran layers and endosperm, used for animal feed.

(numismatics, historical) A 13th-century European coin minted as a debased counterfeit of the sterling silver penny of Edward I of England, at first legally accepted as a halfpenny and then outlawed.


pollard

en-verb

pollard (third-person singular simple present pollards, present participle pollarding, simple past and past participle pollarded)

pollards (present singular third-person)
pollarding (participle present)
pollarded (participle past)
pollarded (past)

I didn't know one could pollard elms. I thought one only pollarded willows.

1910, Edward Morgan Forster, chapter 11, in Howards End:

As well as coppicing, other trees were pollarded, or lopped about 6 ft up the trunk so that the resulting growth was beyond the reach of grazing animals. Pollarding lengthens the life of trees, and the frequently made estimate '1,000 years old' could well be true of some sturdy old trunks.

1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 118:

Cutting back to the same position annually is usually referred to as pollarding; cutting nearly to the ground is usually called stooling. Both are good methods of controlling height and maintaining vigor on plants that would normally grow to a large size.

2011, Edward F. Gilman, An Illustrated Guide to Pruning, 3rd edition, Clifton Park, N.Y.: Delmar, Cengage Learning, →ISBN, page 411:

I walked up the path, passing under a heavily pollarded oak.

2019, Ian McEwan, Machines Like Me, Jonathan Cape, page 287:

(horticulture) To prune a tree heavily, cutting branches back to the trunk, so that it produces dense new growth.


minster

From Middle English menstre (see mynisterie), from Old English mynster, from Latin monastērium (“monastery”), from Ancient Greek μοναστήριον (monastḗrion, “monastery; solitary dwelling”). Doublet of monastery.

derived

A cathedral church without any monastic connection.


remembrancer

In one respect at least the Corporation acts as the superior body: it imposes on the House of Commons a figure called the remembrancer: an official lobbyist who sits behind the Speaker's chair and ensures that, whatever our elected representatives might think, the City's rights and privileges are protected.

[2011 October 31, George Monbiot, “The medieval, unaccountable Corporation of London is ripe for protest”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

City of London Corporation
City of London Corporation

(UK politics) Alternative letter-case form of Remembrancer: an official of the City of London Corporation.


Remembrancer

(UK politics) Any of several former officials in the Court of Exchequer.

“Thank you. Tuesday evening, in four days’ time, Daedra West hosts a gathering, the venue yet to be announced. Possibly one of the guildhalls. Her guest list, so far, is interesting.” She looked at Lev. “The Remembrancer himself may be there. Lesser faces from the City.[…]

2014, William Gibson, The Peripheral, G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 222:

In particular, Harkaway told him about the unelected offices of the Lord Mayor and the City Remembrancer, who can be mistaken for figureheads but, in fact, have extensive powers.

2014 November 16, Ned Beauman, “William Gibson: ‘We always think of ourselves as the cream of creation’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(UK politics) A similar official of the City of London Corporation.


Nolan

Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).

bor

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Dione

en-proper noun

Dione (countable and uncountable, plural Diones)

From Latin Diōnē (“of Jupiter”), from Ancient Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē, “of Zeus”).


Orville

Invented by Fanny Burney for the hero of her novel Evelina. It has been suggested that it is based on the very old Welsh forename of Eurfyl, meaning 'gold'.

I saw that the rank of Lord Orville was his least recommendation, his understanding and his manners being far more distinguished.

1778, Fanny Burney, Evelina, Derby & Jackson, published 1857, page 38:

Orville Wright was born in 1871. Milton and Susan selected the names of their offspring with great care and considered middle names unnecessary.

1998, Fred Howard, Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers, Courier Dover, →ISBN, page 4:

A male given name originating as a coinage.


Otis

A patronymic surname derived from Middle English genitive case of the Germanic given name Ote, Ode, cognate to modern Otto.

[…] in a world of mandatory diminutives, a corporation of jolly Bills and Jacks and Herbs and Teds in which an unabbreviable given name like Earl must have been a minor handicap, "Oat" was the best that could be done for a man with the given name of Otis.

1961, Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road, Vintage Contemporaries, published 2000, →ISBN, page 74:

(chiefly US) A male given name from the Germanic languages, transferred from the surname.


Reece

Rees (alternative)
Reese (alternative)
Rhys (alternative)

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Rhys

Borrowed from Welsh Rhys; related to Price, Reece, Rees, Reese, and Rice.

Vodafone has also dropped its claim against one of Rhys Edwards’s travelling companions – who had been at the same reunion and had his phone pickpocketed two hours later in almost identical circumstances to Rhys Edwards.

2014 November 22, Miles Brignall, “Victory against Vodafone for schoolteacher billed £15,000”, in The Guardian:


Reese

A male given name from Welsh, derived from the surname or directly from Rhys.

During the boom times, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Reese Witherspoon and Matt Damon all gushed about or invested in crypto projects, bringing a mainstream audience to the wonky world of digital currencies.

2023 July 6, Erin Griffith, David Yaffe-Bellany, “How Tom Brady’s Crypto Ambitions Collided With Reality”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1980s and later American usage.


Reagan

Audio (US)

Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Riagáin "descendant of Riagán", a personal name possibly derived from ríodhgach "impulsive, furious".

Regan (alternative)
Riggen (alternative)

A male given name transferred from the surname, of occasional usage.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1970s and later American usage.


Regan

A female given name transferred from the surname or from the name of the evil daughter of King Lear. William Shakespeare may have got the name from the ultimately same Irish source.

A minor city in Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States.


Rickey

A variant of Ricky, diminutive of the male given name Richard.


Rian

A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern Irish usage, variant of Ryan.


Ronan

He'd said that his mother was from Ireland, that he had been born there but came to England when he was just a little boy, he had changed his name from Ronan to Robert, to fit in, and she'd said, fancy that.

2013, Maggie O'Farrell, Instructions for a Heatwave, Tinder Press, →ISBN, page 188:


Rory

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Ruairidh and Irish Ruairí (“red-haired king”), from Old Irish Ruaidrí (“red king”).

A unisex given name.
A male given name from Irish.

Rory Sutherland

A diminutive of the male given name Roderick.

A unisex given name.
A female given name from Irish.

Rory Block

A diminutive of the female given name Aurora.


Apostle

Απόστολος Απόστολος#Greek

A transliteration of the Greek male given name Απόστολος (Apóstolos). A rare transcription; usually transliterated as Apostolos.


heritor

heritors (plural)
heretor (alternative)
heritour (alternative)

Compare Latin herator, from Latin heres (“an heir”).

The printed statement reads (abridged in parts):—
"To the Interested HERITORS in the Counties of Mid-Lothian, Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Berwick. […]

1951 February, Michael Robbins, “Sir Walter Scott and Two Early Railway Schemes”, in Railway Magazine, page 87:

(Scots law) A proprietor or landholder in a parish.


South African English

A dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries.

südafrikanisches Englisch (Südafrikanisches Englisch n)


romaja

/ɹoʊˈmɑːd͡ʒə/

Borrowed from Korean 로마자(字) (romaja, from 로마 (Roma, “Rome, Roman”) + 자(字) (ja, “letter, character”), literally “Roman letters”).

bor

A representation of Korean in Latin script.


Syd

en-proper noun

Syd (countable and uncountable, plural Syds)

Syds (plural)
SYD (alternative)
Syd. (alternative)

(countable) A diminutive of the unisex given name Sydney.


Vic

A diminutive of the male given name Victor.

A diminutive of the female given name Victoria.


trey

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English treye, from Anglo-Norman trei or treis, from Old French treis (“three”). Doublet of three and tres.

(informal) The third bearer of the same personal name in a family, often denoted by suffixed Roman numeral III.


Ryder

Ryder (countable and uncountable, plural Ryders)

(countable) A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.


Terrance

A male given name from Latin, variant of Terence.


Wilbur

From an Old English female given name Wilburg, from wil (“will”) + burh (“fortress”).

(chiefly US) A male given name transferred from the surname.


Willard

From Old English wil (“will”) + heard (“brave, strong”).

The date on the document corresponded to Bill's date of birth, which Scott had seen many times on records and forms, and the name of the child was Willard Skansey Jr. - - - A bank robber's name. Or a tough welterweight of the 1930s with his hair parted in the middle. A bank robber lying low between jobs.

1991, Don DeLillo, Mao II, Viking, →ISBN, page 144:

A male given name from Old English of mostly American usage. Partly transferred back from the surname.


Woodrow

(US) A male given name transferred from the surname, given in the 1910s in honor of President Woodrow Wilson.


Wyatt

Ultimately from the Old English personal name Wigheard, from wīg (“war”) + heard (“hard, brave”), later also used as a Middle English diminutive of the names Guy and William.

A male given name from the Germanic languages, modern transferred use of the surname.


Zackary

A male given name from Hebrew, of occasional usage, variant of Zachary.


Lennon

From Irish Ó Leannáin (“descendant of Lover (Leannán)”) and from Ó Lonáin (“descendant of Blackbird (Lonán)”).

der

descendant of Lover (<i class="Latn mention" lang="ga">Leannán</i>)

Lannan (alternative)
Lannen (alternative)
Linnen (alternative)

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.


Declan

From Old Irish Declán, whence the modern Irish equivalent Deaglán.

A male given name from Old Irish, borne notably by Declán of Ardmore


Delaney

From a Norman baronial surname, from a place in France, Old French del aunaie (“from the alder grove”). In Ireland an anglicization of Irish Ó Dubhshláine (descendant of Black (dubh) + Challenge (slán)).

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.

An unincorporated community in Madison County, Arkansas, United States.

An unincorporated community in Wood County, West Virginia, United States.


Kyler

An American anglicization of Dutch Cuyler "archer" and German Keiler "wild boar".
* The surname is quite rare. The given name may be a recent coinage based on Kyle and Tyler.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 1980s and later usage.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1990s and later usage.


Asif

From Hebrew אסף (asef, “to gather”); or Persian, Urdu آصف (āsaf, “name of Solomon's vizier”).


Nyunga

Borrowed from Nyunga nungar (“a person, a man”).

Noonga (alternative)
Noongah (alternative)
Noongar (alternative)
Nyoongah (alternative)
Nyoongar (alternative)
Nyungah (alternative)
Nyuunga (alternative)

The Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal language, or group of related languages or dialects, spoken by the Nyunga.


Pohnpeian

The Micronesian language of the island state of Pohnpei


Standard English

Students with a pronounced Midland South dialect are required to take a course teaching them to speak and write in Standard English.

A debate rages on whether or not the singular they constitutes Standard English usage.

(linguistics) The form of the English language widely accepted as the usual correct form.

প্রমিত ইংরেজী

the form of the English language widely accepted as the usual correct form


Brenden

A male given name from Irish, of occasional usage, variant of Brendan.


Malik

From Arabic مَالِك (mālik) and مَلِك (malik, “Leader”).


Asa

en-proper noun

Asa (countable and uncountable, plural Asas)

Via Late Latin Asa from Koine Greek Ἀσά (Asá) from Biblical Hebrew אָסָא (ʾĀsāʾ), from Aramaic אָסְיָא (ʾāsyā, “physician, doctor, healer”), from Akkadian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU /asû/) from Sumerian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU /azu/, “physician, healer”); compare Classical Syriac ܐܵܣܝܵܐ (ʾāsyā, “healer, physician, medical doctor”) whence Arabic آسٍ (ʔāsin).

cog

A male given name from Hebrew first used by Puritans.


Iona

Probably a misreading of Latin Ioua, an attempt to Latinize Old Irish Í.

Skye

other given names derived from Scottish islands

A female given name transferred from the place name, of mostly Scottish usage.


Isla

A female given name transferred from the place name. Coined in the twentieth century from an archaic spelling of Islay, an island in the Hebrides.


Esmeralda

/ɛzməˈɹɑːldə/

/ɛzməˈɹɛldə/

From Spanish esmeralda (“emerald”), as first used in the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) by Victor Hugo.


Giselle

"Giselle? That's not the name on the documents — "
"Oh no." Bob gave her a sad smile. "Her real name was Staci, but she once studied ballet, and Jeb thought she was so graceful, with her big brown eyes. Like Bambi. So the pet name went from Gazelle to Giselle. Giselle is a famous ballet," he added, in case A. P. Hill were culturally challenged.

1995, Sharyn McCrumb, If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him, page 85:


Malinda

Variant of Melinda, used since the eighteenth century.

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Melinda.


Cecelia

A female given name from Latin, variant of Cecilia.


Oren

A male given name from Hebrew, probably from the Bible (1 Chronicles 2:25), Hebrew "pine tree".


Orin

A male given name from Irish of obscure origin, possibly a variant of Oren or Oran.


hydronym

/ˈhʌɪdɹənɪm/

Coordinate term: oronym

Numerous hydronyms of Asia Minor, attested in the historical Anatolian languages and going back to Proto-Anatolian, can be compared to the Indo-European derivational type of hydronyms in *-ntʰ-. […] Another hydronym of Proto-Anatolian origin and having wide Indo-European connections is Alda, a river in Asia Minor […]

1995, Thomas V. Gamkrelidze, Vjačeslav V. Ivanov, “Proto-Indo-European in Space and Time, Based on Linguistic and Culture-historical Data [part 2, chapter 11]”, in Johanna Nichols, transl., edited by Werner Winter, Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and Proto-Culture (Trends in Linguistics: Studies and Monographs; 80), Berlin, New York, N.Y.: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 760:

Dutch Zijpe, Zijp (and regional variants) is found in toponyms, e.g. the poulder De/Het Zijpe in the province of North-Holland, the name of the castle Sijpestein (Nieuw-Loosdrecht), […] We are dealing with an old hydronym.

2000, Dirk Boutan, Maarten Kossmann, “On the Etymology of Dutch Zijpe”, in Dirk Boutkan, Arend Quak, editors, Language Contact: Substratum, Superstratum, Adstratum in Germanic Languages (Amsterdamer Beiträge Zur Älteren Germanistik; 54), Amsterdam: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 31:

Considering the fact that the Yeneseic languages are historically spoken along almost the entire length of the Yenesei from the Minusinsk basin to the Arctic zone it is curious that no Common Yeneseic name for the river seems to have been preserved in the linguistic material. […] A hydronym that possibly belongs to this context is Kezes, which has been derived from Ket (*)qä-ses 'large water' […]

2012, Juha Janhunen, “Etymological and Ethnohistorical Aspects of the Yenesei”, in Marek Stachowski, editor, Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia, volume 17, Kraków: Jagiellonian University Press, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 73:

A river name is a hydronym, a name of a body of water. The whole stock of hydronyms in a district, territory, country, or the like is called its hydronymy.

2016, Svante Strandberg, “River Names”, in Carole Hough, Daria Izdebska, editors, The Oxford Handbook of Names and Naming, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 105:

(onomastics) The name of a river, lake, sea or any other body of water.


Tabasaran

A Northeast-Caucasian language spoken by the Tabasaran people who live in southern Dagestan.


Earthian

Earthians (plural)
Earthean (alternative)

I inquired of one prominent Earthian: "What's of constructing ships and buildings...?"

1940. America: A Catholic Review of the Week, America Press: 1940, page 420

I most likely will be the second Earthian to reach that planet. ...

1955. Fantastic Universe: Science Fiction, Great American Publications, 1955, page 41

(science fiction) A person from planet Earth.


Earthian

According to Fodor's definition, it follows that 'water' in Twin Earthian means XYZ and not H2O.

1997. Diego Marconi. Lexical Competence. MIT Press: 1997, page 102

I thought the females spoke Earthian to you. Improving their Earthian was why they asked for a couple.

2004. Sheri S. Tepper. The Companions. HarperCollins: 2004, page 79

(science fiction, rare) A universal language spoken on Earth.


Earthan

(rare, science fiction, nonstandard) A person or thing from planet Earth; an Earthling.


terce

en-noun

terce (countable and uncountable, plural terces)

Late Middle English, from Old French terce, from Latin tertia (“third; the third hour”).

(Scots law) A widow's right, where she has no conventional provision, to a liferent of a third of the husband's heritable property.


Rylan

Possibly a variant of Ryland, meaning "rye field" and from Old English.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.


Braeden

A male given name transferred from the surname, of somewhat uncommon usage, variant of Braden.


Glenna

From male given name Glen, from Scottish glen (“secluded valley”).

A female given name originating as a coinage, in quiet use since the 19th century.


Adria

From Latin Adria, Hadria. Compare Adriatic.


Yannick

From French Yannick, from Breton Yannig.


Fitz

en-proper noun

Fitz (countable and uncountable, plural Fitzs or Fitzes)


Sino-Vietnamese

Pertaining to the Chinese-derived elements in the Vietnamese language.

漢越 /汉越

pertaining to the Chinese-derived elements in the Vietnamese language


Sino-Vietnamese

The Chinese-derived elements in the Vietnamese language.

漢越詞 /汉越词

the Chinese-derived elements in the Vietnamese language


Jingpho

Jinghpo (alternative)
Jingpo (alternative)
Jinghpaw (alternative)
Chingp'o (alternative)
Chingpaw (alternative)

The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Kachin State, Myanmar, and also in China.


sophont

From sopho- + -ont. First used in the 1966 works by Poul Anderson, coined by his wife Karen Anderson.

Likewise with the psychology of intelligent species. Most sophonts indeed possess basic instincts which diverge more or less from man's. With those of radically alien motivations we have little contact.

I'm honored to meet a sophont of the Soro line in person!

Evil, they argued, could only have meaning on smaller scales, in the hurt that one sophont does to another.

1992, Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep, Tor Books, page 406:

Only one sophont appeared to be involved—and not a sophisticated one.

1997, Spider Robinson, Lifehouse, Baen Books, page 2:

artificial intelligence
artificial intelligence

(chiefly science fiction) An intelligent being; a being with a base reasoning capacity roughly equivalent to or greater than that of a human being. The word does not apply to machines unless they have true artificial intelligence, rather than mere processing capacity.


Lapp

From Swedish lapp, possibly of Finnish origin. Compare Finnish Lappi.


Pecheneg

/ˈpɛt͡ʃənɛɡ/

Borrowed from Russian печене́г (pečenég).

Pacheneg (alternative)
Patzinak (alternative)
Petcheneg (alternative)
Petchenek (alternative)

[…]these loanwords are later borrowings from the Pecheneg and Comanian, respectively.

1991, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi, Volume 7, Peter de Ridder Press, page 286:

(historical) The now extinct Turkic language spoken by the Pechenegs.


Katya

Transliteration of Russian and Ukrainian Ка́тя (Kátja), diminutive of Екатери́на (Jekaterína), Катери́на (Katerýna).

translit

A female given name from Russian or Ukrainian, equivalent to English Kate.


Katia

A female given name from Russian, variant of Katya.


Branden

A male given name transferred from the surname, of rather rare usage, variant of Brandon.


Maruthini

Borrowed from Tamil மருதம் (marutam) refers to all land used towards agricultural cultivation in the Tamil heartland in South India, signifying the enchanting princess of the traditional Tamil fertile land called Marutham from the Sangam literature landscape.

A female given name from India, of South Indian usage.


Marita

Borrowed in the late 19th century from Norwegian Marita. By folk etymology, explained as a Spanish diminutive of Maria, by analogy with Anita.

A female given name from Ancient Greek occasionally used in English.


Jana

From Czech Jana, ultimately from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack and earlier use of Joan in the same role.
Doublet of Ivana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.


Gabriele

A male given name from Italian, equivalent to English Gabriel.


wye

wyes (plural)
why (alternative)
wy (alternative)

Attested as wi c. 1200. Of uncertain origin. Perhaps borrowed from Old French ui or gui.

Thus first C checks to see if ex and wye are equal. The resulting value of 1 or 0 (true or false) then is compared to the value of zee.

1984 Waite, Prata & Martin, C (Computer Program Language), p. 190

It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh."

2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170:

The name of the Latin-script letter Y/y.


Tocharian

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

From Latin Tochari + -ian, from Ancient Greek Τόχαροι (Tókharoi, “Kucheans”) (see Τόχαρος (Tókharos)), probably from an Indo-Iranian source (Old Persian [script needed] (tuxāri-), Khotanese [script needed] (ttahvāra)); compare Sanskrit तुखार (tukhāra).

der

(linguistics) An extinct branch of the Indo-European language family, consisting of two languages, Tocharian A and Tocharian B, written in an abugida derived from Brahmi.


C of E

Lasdun’s parents were Jews who converted to the C of E, and Nasreen’s communications quickly became virulently anti-semitic […]

2013, Nick Richardson, “Internet-Enabled”, in London Review of Books, volume 35, number 8:

Church of England
Church of England#English


simpliciter

From the Latin simpliciter (“simply”, “plainly”), from simplex (“simple”).

The charge was reduced from aggravated assault to assault simpliciter.

Paragraph 68, Public Prosecutor v CJH ([2022] SGHC 303)
Leaving aside this report, I make the general observation firstly that the CA has pointed out in PP v UI [2008] 4 SLR(R) 500 […] that rape simpliciter "is already ‘an inherently odious and reprehensible act’… that exacts ‘irretrievable physical, emotional and psychological scars on [the] victim’”[…]

(philosophy, law, originally chiefly Scots law, Canadian law) Simply, absolutely; without any qualification or condition.


Marseillais

en-adj

Marseillais (comparative more Marseillais, superlative most Marseillais)

more Marseillais (comparative)
most Marseillais (superlative)


Niçois

Niçois (comparative more Niçois, superlative most Niçois)

more Niçois (comparative)
most Niçois (superlative)


Bordelais

Bordelais (comparative more Bordelais, superlative most Bordelais)

more Bordelais (comparative)
most Bordelais (superlative)


Darian

A 20th-century invention, possibly based on Darius or Dorian.

A unisex given name originating as a coinage.


Rehoboam

After Rehoboam, Judean king, the name of which in Biblical Hebrew was רְחַבְעָם (Rəḥaḇʿām)

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin, in rare use.


Ebenezer

From Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר (éven ha`ézer, “stone of help”).

der

אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר

"I have none to give," the Ghost replied. "It comes from other regions, Ebenezer Scrooge, and is conveyed by other ministers, to other kinds of men."

1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the page number)”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:

A male given name from Hebrew taken up by Puritans in the 17th century.


Finnic

Of the branch of the Uralic language family that includes Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, Veps, Livonian, Ingrian and Votic.

finès

pertaining to the Finnic (Baltic-Finnic) group of languages


Kentuckian

During the Civil War, many Kentuckians found themselves fighting their own family members.

United States of America
United States of America

A native or resident of the state of Kentucky in the United States of America.


Birgitte

Borrowed from Danish Birgitte and Norwegian Birgitte.

A female given name from Danish or Norwegian, equivalent to English Bridget.


Birgit

A Chadic language spoken in southeastern Chad.


Gitte

A diminutive of the female given name Birgitte, from Danish.


Greta

From German and Swedish Greta, a contraction of Margareta.

Herb and Greta poured through “name” books and the only name they could agree on was “Rosalie.” Greta told Herb that she didn't want her daughter's name to end in a “lie,” and so they named her Rosalee.

2015, Janice Dickson, Herbert Peppard: The Eternal Man, FriesenPress, →ISBN:


appraising

(Scots law, historical) Alternative form of apprising


apprising

(Scots law, historical) The appraisal of the value of goods, land, etc., often in order to pay the debts of a deceased person.


Marthe

Borrowed from French Marthe and Norwegian Marthe.

A female given name from French or Norwegian, equivalent to English Martha.


Elsa

From German Elsa, contraction of Elisabeth, occasionally used in English after its appearance in Wagner's opera Lohengrin (1847).

A friend that I envied — it was the same friend who had benefited from admiring Cosette's jewelry, a girl whose name was Elsa and whom naturally we called Lioness —

1988, Barbara Vine, The House of Stairs, Onyx, published 1990, →ISBN, page 35:

Do you remember the wave of Elsas that arrived shortly after the release of Frozen at the end of 2013? It became one the fastest-climbing names of the following year before dropping back, and then had another (smaller) spike in 2019 when Frozen II came out.

2022, Eleanor Turner, “On-screen inspo”, in Baby Names 2023, White Ladder, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, part one (Naming your baby):

A female given name from German or Hebrew.


Lise

From the French, and possible also from Scandinavian, Lise. Variant of more common English Lisa.

The urge to tell Lise everything was almost overpowering.

2013, Allison Amend, A Nearly Perfect Copy:

Then I smelled something funny. “Do you guys smell that?” “No. What do you smell?” said Lise. “I think I smell smoke.”

Lisa said, “This is gonna be the best birthday breakfast Mom ever had.” And Bart earnestly replied, “Hey, Lise, you think that's enough for her?”

2001, J. Alison Bryant, Television and the American Family:

A diminutive of the female given name Lisa.


Elspeth

A female given name from Hebrew, a Scottish variant of Elizabeth.


Salvatore

Borrowed from Italian Salvatore. Doublet of Salvador.


Isabell

A female given name from Hebrew, a less common spelling of Isabel or Isabelle.


Rie

* Japanese りえ (Rie), a given name with numerous possible original kanji.
* Danish Rie
* Dutch Rie

A female given name.
A female given name from Japanese.

A female given name.
A female given name from Dutch.

A female given name.
A female given name from Danish.


Balthazar

/ˈbælθəˌzɔɹ/

From Middle English Balthasar, from Latin Baltassar, from Ancient Greek Βαλτασαρ (Baltasar), from Hebrew בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (bēlšaṣṣar), attested in the Tanakh and the Old Testament (Daniel 5:1), from Akkadian 𒂗𒈗𒋀 (bēl-šarra-uṣṣur, literally “May Bel protect the king”). Doublet of Belshazzar.

בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר

Hebrew בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (bēlšaṣṣar)

Baltasar (alternative)
Baltassar (alternative)
Balthasar (alternative)
Belshazzar (alternative)
Beltshatsar (alternative)


Yatish

"Yatish" means "master of all saints" according to Hindu books.


Helene

en-proper noun

Helene (countable and uncountable, plural Helenes)

From French Hélène and from German Helene. Doublet of Helen, Helena, and Elaine.

She lost only one battle - the pronunciation of her name. The people in Bottom refused to say Helene. They called her Helen Wright and left it at that.

1973, Toni Morrison, Sula, Penguin, published 1973, →ISBN, page 18:


Ilona

From Hungarian Ilona. A rare variant of Helen or Helena.


Ronja

Ronjas (plural)
Ronia (alternative)
Ronya (alternative)

A female given name from Swedish, variant of Ronia.

A female given name from Russian, variant of Ronia.


Filipina

Borrowed from Spanish filipina f (feminine form of filipino).

bor+

feminine form of <i class="Latn mention" lang="es">filipino</i>

Recently, the police station at Nei-Hu district arrested about ten Filipina domestics and nursing workers who ran away from their employers.

2006 [1997 December 16], Shu-Ju Ada Cheng, “The Global Trade in Domestic Service”, in Serving the Household and the Nation: Filipina Domestics and the Politics of Identity in Taiwan (Sociology; Asian Studies), Lexington Books, sourced from United Daily News, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 59:

Whether portrayed as masculine warriors, female seducers, or wayward mothers, Huk Amazons were regarded as extraordinary and unconventional Filipinas: communist guerrillas trained to fight as soldiers against the government and women who lived in the forests, fraternized with men, and had children outside marriage.

2009 April 22, Vina A. Lanzona, Amazons of the Huk Rebellion: Gender, Sex, and Revolution in the Philippines, Univ of Wisconsin Press, →ISBN, page 31:

(countable) A female citizen or local inhabitant of the Philippines, or one descending from such.

ֆիլիպինուհի

A female native or inhabitant of the Philippines


Antarctican

...the easy-going good nature and “she’s right, mate,” attitude of the genuine Australian is a simple but practical outlook which could well be copied by many future Antarcticans.

1956, Antarctic, New Zealand Antarctic Society:

We were not the only Antarcticans flying early this 1958-59 season. Soviet scientists across the icecap were planning an over-snow traverse toward the South Pole and wanted to survey the route by air.

1959, The National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society, page 541:

The Antarcticans sense that life must be asserted here. It cannot draw back before these wastes, but must subdue them if only to demonstrate its viability.

1965, Richard S. Lewis, “A Continent for Science”, in The Antarctic Adventure, Viking Press, page 258:

I’m an Antarctican; I can sleep on the ground.

1987, Michael Parfit, South Light: A Journey to the Last Continent, Collier Books, →ISBN, page 273:

You should also have little trouble finding some glacier ice for your whiskey; many Antarcticans enjoy sipping their Scotch on very old rocks!

2005, Jeff Rubin et al., Antarctica, Lonely Planet, →ISBN, page 81:

(sometimes humorous) One who has spent time in Antarctica, especially a scientist or researcher.


Johanne

A female given name from Hebrew occasionally used in English.


Sicani

(historical) An ancient people of Sicily and parts of Italy.


Cormac

Borrowed from Irish, from Old Irish Cormac.

It gave me more of a Cormac McCarthy vibe than a Westworld one, hinting at the death of the old west, the consequences of America’s rapid industrialisation and the death of a way of life, rather than a straightforward romanticisation of the frontier and its outlaw heroes.

2018 October 10, Keza MacDonald, “Red Dead Redemption 2: three hours with the most anticipated game of the year”, in The Guardian:


Viv

A diminutive of the unisex given name Vivian.


Lauri

A less common spelling of Laurie, a diminutive of the female given name Laura.


Frederica

And there was the basic yet awful matter of my name, Frederica Hatch, due to the unfortunate coincidence of a maternal grandmother named Frieda, who died six weeks before I was born, and a favorite paternal great-uncle Frederic, who'd been a Freedom Rider at eighty. - - - When I asked if an accidental boy would have been Frederic, they said no. It was Frederica they loved.

2007, Elinor Lipman, My Latest Grievance, →ISBN, page 16:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, of quite rare usage, masculine equivalent Frederick.


Mika

* (Japanese given name): Borrowed from Japanese みか (Mika).
* (Hebrew given name): From Hebrew מִיכָה (mīḵāh)

A unisex given name.
A female given name from Japanese.

A unisex given name from Hebrew, variant of Micah.


Sherpa

Sherpa (emissary)
Sherpa language
Sherpa people

The Southern Tibetan language of these people.


Asya

From Russian Ася (Asja), informal pet form of Анастасия (Anastasija, “Ann”)).

A female given name from Russian of modern usage.


Morten

A male given name, of Danish and Norwegian origin.


Christiana

en-proper noun

Christiana (countable and uncountable, plural Christianas)

A medieval literate form of the female name Christian.


Ellery

An English surname transferred from the given name, variant of Hilary or Eulalie.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County#English

A town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States.

An unincorporated community in Edwards County and Wayne County, Illinois, United States.


Algernon

From Old French als gernons (“having mustaches”), from als (contraction of a and les) + gernon, variant of grenon (“mustache”), from Vulgar Latin *granonem (“facial hair, mustache”), from Proto-Germanic *granō (“awn, beard-hair, hair-tips, mustache”), related to Old High German grana, granu (“mustache”), Old Norse grǫn (“mustache, (upper) lip”), Old English granu (“mustache”).
Mustaches were often a prominent cultural component for men of early medieval Germanic societies, whence the name originates from. However, the particular distinction owing this name vis-a-vis other families is unclear.


Bosniak

Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian Bòšnjāk (“Bosniak”), from Bȍsna (“Bosnia”). Equivalent to Bosniac: Bosnia+-ac.

A person typically characterized by their ties to the Bosnian historical region, traditional adherence to Islam, and common culture and language.

bosniakki

a person with ties to Bosnia, traditional adherence to Islam, and common culture and language


Anand

en-proper noun

Anand (countable and uncountable, plural Anands)

Anands (plural)
Ananda (alternative)
Nanda (alternative)

From Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda, “joy, delight, pleasure”).

der

(countable) A male given name from Sanskrit.


Christa

Contraction of Christina and Christiana. Rare until the second half of the 20th century, reinforced by the German Christa.


Kristopher

A male given name from Ancient Greek of modern usage, a rare spelling variant of Christopher.


Risto

A transliteration of the Macedonian male given name Ристо (Risto)


Georg

“Ah!” Georg said, noncommittal. “A problem I think you may have had,” the man said. “I got drunk and didn't wake up.” “Yes,” Georg said. “I've been known to do that. Last night, in fact. And the night before.”

2011 July 1, Eric Flint, Ring of Fire III, Baen Publishing Enterprises, →ISBN:

Georg said nothing as he glanced toward Cameron, who stuck his head over the edge of the loft again. “Rest easy, Georg,” Cameron said. “Next week I'll be on my honeymoon, and your worries will be over.”

2013 December 20, Elizabeth D. Michaels, Anita Stansfield, Behind the Mask, White Star Press, →ISBN:

A male given name, a Scandinavian and continental Germanic variant of George.


Rarotongan

Cook Islands Maori, the official language of the Cook Islands.


Cook Islands Maori

The official language of the Cook Islands.


Behrouz

بهروز بهروز#Persian

A transliteration of the Persian male given name بهروز (behruz).


Sonja

'At first I couldn't work out what had killed her,' said Sonja Lundin, frowning again, 'but because her head was shaved, I soon discovered it when I looked a bit closer.'


Alexandre

Borrowed from French Alexandre and Portuguese Alexandre.

A male given name from French or Portuguese, equivalent to English Alexander.


Jemima

From the name of a minor biblical character, from Hebrew יְמִימָה (“dove”). By folk etymology also used as a feminine form of James.

He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 42:13-15:

-- and at last Jemima was fixed upon, because it would do either for a Scripture name or for a heroine out of a book."
"I did not know Jemima was a Scripture name," said Ruth.
"Oh yes, it is. One of Job's daughters; Jemima, Kezia, and Keren-Happuch. There are a good many Jemimas in the world, and some Kezias, but I never heard of a Keren-Happuch; and yet we know just as much of one as of another. People really like a pretty name, whether Scripture or out of it."

1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter XVII, in Ruth:

But then, thought Kiki, they were brought up that way, these white American boys: I'm the Aunt Jemima on the cookie boxes of their childhoods, the pair of thick ankles Tom and Jerry played around. Of course they find me funny.

2005, Zadie Smith, On Beauty, Penguin, published 2006, →ISBN, page 51:

Fancy southern names which she couldn't remember five minutes after they'd told her. Camilla? Amelia? Jemima? It didn't matter. Ashworth would have made a note of them.

2011, Ann Cleeves, Hidden Depths, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 165:a:


khi

It is known, from the existence in his time¹ of the Delphic tripod, that all these letters existed in 480 B.C. ; but on that monument the Khi and Psi differ from the forms used later.

1898, Claude Reignier Conder, The Hittites and Their Language, W. Blackwood and Sons, page 249:

The letters upsilon, phi, khi, psi, δ were Greek additions

1963, Thomas Albert Sebeok, Current Trends in Linguistics, Mouton, page 404:

Greek scripts display notable local characteristics — principally with regard to the shape of letters but also in the matter of the phonetic values attributed to signs such as san, sigma, khi, and psi.

2006, Jonathan M. Hall, A History of the Archaic Greek World, Blackwell Publishing, page 57:

Alternative spelling of chi (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ), the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet.


Joselyn

A female given name from the Germanic languages, of modern usage, variant of Jocelyn.


West Frisian

A language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands; one of the Frisian languages (or language varieties).


Jilly

A diminutive of the female given names Jill, Jillian and Julia.


Mossie

(Ireland) A diminutive of the male given name Maurice.


Ligurian

The Gallo-Italic language of this region.

An ancient Proto-Indo-European language spoken by the Ligures.


Isidora

Name of a fourth-century saint. The feminine equivalent of Isidore, from Ancient Greek Ἰσιδώρα (Isidṓra, “gift of Isis”).

uder

A female given name from Ancient Greek; rare in the Anglo-Saxon world.


Fanti

Fantee (alternative)
Fante (alternative)


Cnut

A male given name from Old Norse, an alternative spelling of Canute (Scandinavian Knut) in historical context.


Henny

Cecilia, who only through compassion to the blushing Henrietta forbore repressing this forwardness more seriously, merely answered Mrs Belfield by wishing her good morning: but, while she was taking a kinder leave of her timid daughter, the mother added "As to the present, ma'am, you was so kind to make us, Henny can witness for me every penny of it shall go to my son."

1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia/Book 5/Chapter ii:

A diminutive of the female given name Henrietta.


Kartvelian

Borrowed from Georgian ქართველი (kartveli) + -ian.

A member of a group of related peoples in the South Caucasus, namely Georgians, Svans, Mingrelians and Laz.


annate

(Scots law) The half-year's stipend payable for the vacant half-year after the death of a parish minister, to which his family or nearest of kin have right under an act of 1672.


Hallie

I'm dreaming now of Hallie, sweet Hallie, sweet Hallie.

1855 Septimus Winner, Listen to the Mockingbird ( a song )

A diminutive of the female given name Harriet.


Ulric

From Old High German uodil (“heritage, homestead”) + rihhi (“ruler”); compare German Ulrich. English sources also suggest Old English wulf (“wolf”) + ric (“ruler”).

der

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Petronella

/ˌpɛt.ɹəˈnɛlə/

From Latin Petronella, feminine diminutive of Petronius, a Roman family name possibly derived from petra "rock". Name of an obscure early saint; because of similarity of sound, used as a feminine form of Peter.

A female given name from Latin, rare in English after Middle Ages.


Middle Dutch

(3) West Germanic, which is composed of:—
[...]
(d) Low Franconian, called Old Low Franconian or Old Dutch until about 1200; Middle Low Franconian or Middle Dutch from 1200 to 1500; from 1500 onwards New Low Franconian, including Dutch, Flemish, Brabantish, and Limburgish.

1907, Joseph Wright, Historical German Grammar: Vol. I: Phonology, Word-Formation and Accidence, page 7:

Old Low Franconian is the ancestor of modern Dutch, Flemish, Brabantish and Limburgish. It is called Old Low Franconian to c. 1100; Middle Low Franconian or Middle Dutch, from 1100 to 1600; from 1600 onwards, New Low Franconian or New Dutch.

1923 (reprinted 1948), Arthur Kirk, An Introduction to the Historical Study of New High German (Publications of the University of Manchester: Germanic Series; No. II), page 10:

One can distinguish four major dialect groups of Middle Dutch: (a) Flemish, which was spoken in the region of Flanders, and Zeeuws, spoken in Zeeland; (b) Brabantic, used in the area of Brussels, Louvain, Antwerp, Mechlin, and Breda; (c) Hollandic, the dialect of the county of Holland; and (d) Limburgic, the language used in the easter part of the Middle Dutch territory. The first three dialect groups may be referred to as West Franconian, while Limburgic is known as East Franconian.

1993, Colette M. van Kerckvoorde, An Introduction to Middle Dutch, Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter (a division of Walter de Gruyter & Co.), page 1:

Collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects (whose ancestor was Old Dutch) which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500 in the present-day Dutch-speaking area. There was at that time as yet no overarching standard language, but they were all mutually intelligible.


Old Dutch

The earliest extant material in Old Low Franconian (or Old Dutch) is from the 9th century (psalm fragments translated in or around the south of Limburg, i.e. the south-east corner of the Netherlands).

1989, Hans Frede Nielsen, The Germanic Languages: Origins and Early Dialectal Interrelations, The University of Alabama Press, page 2f:

The earliest extant material in Old Dutch (or Old Low Franconian) is from the ninth century (psalm fragments translated in or around the south of Limburg, i.e. the south-east corner of the Netherlands).

1998, Hans Frede Nielsen, The Continental Backgrounds of English and its Insular Development until 1154, Odense University Press, page 43:

A branch of Old Low Franconian, with a Frisian substrate, spoken and written during the Middle Ages (c. 9th to 12th century) in the Netherlands and the northern part of present-day Belgium, as well as in areas of northern France along the North Sea coast and adjoining Belgium. This language represents the first attested stage of the Dutch language and its dialects, being succeeded by Middle Dutch in the later Middle Ages.


Ripuarian

/ˌɹɪp.juˈɛə.ɹɪən/

From Medieval Latin Ripuarius (perhaps from Latin ripa (“river bank”)) + -an.

A West Central German dialect group, spoken in the northern Rhineland (including the cities of Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Aachen), as well as parts of German-speaking Belgium and south-eastern Limburg (Netherlands); linguistically, the least affected by the consonant shift of all High German dialects


Teochew

From Teochew 潮州 (dio⁵ ziu¹). See also Hokkien 潮州 (Tiô-chiu).

Diojiu (alternative)
Teochiu (alternative)
Tiuchiu (alternative)
Tie-chiu (alternative)
Teochow (alternative)
Chiuchow (alternative)
Chiu Chow (alternative)
Taechew (alternative)
Taechiew (alternative)
Taechiu (alternative)
Tio Ciu (alternative)
Tiociu (alternative)
Trieu Chau (alternative)

[…] Lim Peng Siang, Low Kim Pong, Teo Sian Keng and Lee Choon Guan were leaders of Fukien dialect group; Lam Kim Seng, Chua Tse Yong were Teochew leaders; Loke Yew and Lam Wai Fong were Cantonese leaders.

1995, Qinghuang Yan, Community and Politics: The Chinese in Colonial Singapore and Malaysia, Marshall Cavendish International, →ISBN:

'I do not speak English,' the young man said sanguinely in Malay, then said it again in Teochew, to test the white man.

2015, William L. Gibson, Singapore Yellow, Singapore: Monsoon Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 116:

A variety of Southern Min Chinese, spoken in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong and its diaspora.

潮州話 /潮州话

one of the divisions of the Chinese language


Stephan

Ultimately from Ancient Greek στεφανίζω (stephanízō, “to crown”) & Ancient Greek στέφανος (stéphanos, “that which surrounds, crown, wreath”).

For the whole year, the exotic automaker sold 7,430 cars and SUVs, down 9.5% compared to 2019. But the last quarter of 2020 was the best in the Italian supercar maker’s history and its order banks are already filled for the first nine months of 2021, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said.

2021 April 1, Peter Valdes-Dapena, “Sales of Bentleys and Lamborghinis are booming because rich people are bored”, in CNN:


Socceroos

Australia national association football team

It was the day of the Socceroos′ first World Cup clash: the game against Japan.

2007, Raewyn Caisley, Hot Shot, unnumbered page:

Australia′s success on the international stage took a major leap forward when the Socceroos qualified for their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1974, held in Germany.

2010, Dave Arthur, Greg Downes, “Chapter 19: Australia”, in Simon Chadwick, Sean Hamil, editors, Managing Football, page 342:

association football
association football

(soccer) The men's national soccer (association football) representative team of Australia.


Jaqueline

A female given name, variant of Jacqueline.


Jacklyn

A female given name from French, a re-spelling of Jacqueline.


Jimmi

A diminutive of the male given name James.


Benedicta

A female given name from Latin, a rare feminine form of Benedict.


Old Latin

The Latin language in the period before the age of Classical Latin; particularly Latin before 75 BC.


fita

The obsolete Cyrillic letter Ѳ, ѳ formerly used in Russian to write proper names and loanwords derived from or via Greek.


Karo

The indigenous people of the Karo Plateau in North Sumatra.


Karo

A Nilotic language of Uganda, South Sudan and the DRC.


Cristian

/ˈkɹɪʃt͡ʃən/

/ˈkɹɪst͡ʃən/


Marko

At the heart of much of the controversy surrounding DOGE’s review and access to much of the federal government’s financial payment data was the unique pairing of Tom Krause, a long-time software CEO, and Marko Elez, a 25-year-old recent employee at Musk’s company SpaceX.

2025 February 7, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Curt Devine, Majlie de Puy Kamp and Rene Marsh, “‘Second American Revolution’: The team behind DOGE’s government overhaul”, in CNN:

A male given name, equivalent to English Mark.


Bastian

A male given name from Ancient Greek, diminutive of Sebastian


Vai

The Niger-Congo language of the Vai people of Liberia and Sierra Leone.


Gertie

Mrs Conchita Warren is an unusual name, I thought as I cycled towards Limehouse. Most local women were Doris, Winnie, Ethel (pronounced Eff) or Gertie.

2002, Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife, Phoenix, →ISBN, page 127:

A diminutive of the female given name Gertrude.


Melchior

From Latin Melchior, from Hebrew מלכיאור (“king of light”), from מלך (“king”) + אור (“light”).

So twin boys, our fathers, were born in the USA. Melchior and Peregrine. What names, eh? What delusions of grandeur went into the naming of them? If you shorten them to 'Mel' and 'Perry', they've got a democratically twentieth-century and transatlantic ring to them.

1991, Angela Carter, Wise Children, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 16:

(rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew.


Biak

From Indonesian (bahasa) Biak (“Biak language”), from Biak wós Vyak. Also known in Biak as wós kovedi (“our language”).

A language spoken on this island and others near it.


Pelasgian

From Ancient Greek Πελασγός (Pelasgós) + -ian, presumably based on a Pre-Greek ethnonym. Compare Egyptian pwrꜣsꜣtj, an ethnonym listed as one of the Sea Peoples attacking Egypt around 1190 BCE.

1869, Journal of the Ethnological Society of London, New Series, Volume 1, Ethnological Society of London, Trübner and Co. page 324,
Pelasgian, therefore, is regarded by him as convertible with Illyrian, and that with Gueg, subject to modifications of Tosk and relations therewith.

[…]Malte-Brun described Pelasgian as a primitive version of Greek, and distinguished it from Illyrian, which he regarded as a branch of the Thracian language.

2002, Noel Malcolm, “Myths of Albanian National Identity”, in Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers, Bernd Jürgen Fischer, editors, Albanian Identities, Indiana University Press, page 76:


Kaleb

From Hebrew כלב (“dog”), possibly referring to a dog’s unconditional devotion to its master.

A male given name from Hebrew, a less common modern spelling variant of Caleb.


Lina

Short form of any female name ending in -lina, such as Angelina, Carolina, Evelina. It can also be construed as a rare feminine form of Linus.

"Lina—did not Moore call you Lina sometimes?" / "Yes: it is sometimes used as the abbreviation of Caroline in his native country."

1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Shirley and Caroline”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, pages 31–32:

A female given name, occasionally used in English.


Nicki

A diminutive of the female given name Nicola and Nicole.

A diminutive of the male given name Nicholas.


Nikolai

Николай Николай#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian male given name Николай (Nikolaj), equivalent to Nicholas.


Lucie

A female given name from Latin, variant of Lucy.


Nikola

Никола Никола#Bulgarian

A transliteration of the Bulgarian, Macedonian, or Serbo-Croatian male given name Никола (Nikola), equivalent to Nicholas


Rostislav

From Russian and Ukrainian Ростислав (Rostyslav)

bor

Ростисла́в Ростислав#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian male given name Ростисла́в (Rostisláv), equivalent to Rostislav.


Vladislav

Transliteration from Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian Владисла́в. See Ladislaus.

Владисла́в Владислав#Macedonian

A transliteration of the Macedonian, Pannonian Rusyn, Russian, or Ukrainian male given name Владисла́в (Vladisláv).


Ivana

From various Slavic languages, such as Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian Ивана (Ivana).
Doublet of Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.


Fine Gael

/ˌfɪnə ˈɡeɪl/

From Irish Fine Gael (literally “family of Gaels”).

bor

Ireland’s ruling Fine Gael party and its longtime rival Fianna Fáil have moved closer to forming an unprecedented coalition government.

2020 April 14, Rory Carroll, “Ireland’s Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil close to forming coalition government”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

An Irish political party founded in the 1930s.


Evelina

A female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Evelyn.


Arne

en-proper noun

Arne (countable and uncountable, plural Arnes)

For the given name, a short form of Old Norse compound names beginning with arn- (“eagle”).

A male given name from the Germanic languages occasionally used in English.


Rudolf

Borrowed from Czech Rudolf and German Rudolf.

A male given name from Czech or German, equivalent to English Rudolph.


Rudi

A diminutive of the male given name Rudolf, from German.


Rudy

Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani claimed Sunday that the President hypothetically could have shot the former FBI director to end the Russia investigation and not face prosecution for it while in office.

2018 June 3, Veronica Stracqualursi and Dana Bash, “Giuliani to HuffPost: Trump could have ‘shot James Comey’ and not be prosecuted”, in CNN:

A diminutive of the male given name Rudolph.


Mikaela

A female given name from Hebrew, of modern usage, variant of Michaela.


Hundred Years' War

A series of conflicts between France and England, lasting 116 years from 1337 to 1453.


Guoyu

From Mandarin 國語／国语 (guóyǔ, literally “nation-language” or “country-language”).

zh-l

Kuo-Yü (alternative)
Kuoyu (alternative)

The standardized spoken Chinese language, also referred to as Standard Mandarin. The term remains in common use in the Republic of China (Taiwan) and colloquially in Hong Kong (along with Putonghua). In mainland China, Guoyu or Taiwan Guoyu is used to refer to Taiwanese Mandarin (standard), as opposed to mainland standard Mandarin.


Veronese

en-adj

Veronese (comparative more Veronese, superlative most Veronese)

more Veronese (comparative)
most Veronese (superlative)

Of, from or relating to the city of Verona.


Lindsay

en-proper noun

Lindsay (countable and uncountable, plural Lindsays)

Lindsays (plural)
Lindsey (alternative)
Lyndsey (alternative)

From Lindsey in Lincolnshire, from Old English Lindesēġe, Lindesīġe (“Isle of Lind”), the Old English name of the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in which "Lind" comes from the Common Brittonic form of the name of Lincoln and "isle" refers to Lincoln being surrounded by fenland; from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”), in reference to the Brayford + Old English ēġ (“island”); cf. modern Welsh llyn and Dublin.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1940s and later usage.

A number of places in the United States:


Paulina

From Latin Paulīna, feminine form of Paulīnus, derivative of Paulus, from paulus (“small”). Name of a third-century saint.

O grave and good Paulina, the great comfort / That I have had of thee!

She smells like expensive soap and her teeth are shiny-white. She does not in any way look like her name. It's not her fault that she was born in a time when people believed in names like Wanda, Dottie and Betty. She's more of a Vanessa or Paulina.

1991, Peter Hedges, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Simon & Schuster, published 1999, →ISBN, page 60:


Benjy

A diminutive of the male given name Benjamin.


Yawuru

A Nyulnyulan language of the indigenous people of Western Australia.


Marti Ke

Magati Ke (alternative)
Magadige (alternative)
Mati Ke (alternative)
Magati Gair (alternative)

An indigenous language of Australia's Northern Territory near Wadeye.


Amurdag

An indigenous language of Australia's Northern Territory.


Megleno-Romanian

From Romanian meglenoromân, corresponding to Meglenitic + Romanian.

An endangered Eastern Romance language spoken in northern Greece, North Macedonia and parts of Romania, and related to Romanian, Aromanian and Istro-Romanian.


Williamina

A female given name from the Germanic languages, a rare feminine form of William, best known in Scotland.


Alisa

A female given name from Finnish or Russian, equivalent to English Alice.


canonical form

en-noun

canonical form (countable and uncountable, plural canonical forms)

A canonical form is an element of a set of representatives of equivalence classes of forms such that there is a function or procedure which projects every element of each equivalence class onto that one element, the canonical form of that equivalence class. The canonical form is expected to be simpler than the rest of the forms in some way. For example, for cubic polynomials acted upon by the group of translations along the abscissa, the canonical forms are cubic polynomials without a quadratic term.

(mathematics, computing) A standard or normal presentation of a mathematical entity or a text string, etc.

kanonický tvar

contributing structure
contributing structure

(physical chemistry) Any of a set of representations of the resonance structure of a molecule each of which contributes to the real structure; a contributing structure.

(linguistics, rare) Synonym of dictionary form


Daco-Romanian

The standard Romanian language, distinguished from the Aromanian (Macedo-Romanian), Megleno-Romanian and Istro-Romanian languages.

dakorumenskt

more specific name for the standard Romanian language


Jesus Prayer

The old monk tells him that the one prayer acceptable to God at all times, and 'desired' by God, is the Jesus Prayer—'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' […]

1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey, 1991 LB Books edition, page 111

(Christianity) A short formulaic prayer entreating mercy from Jesus Christ.


Istro-Romanian

An endangered Eastern Romance language spoken in the Istrian region of Croatia, and related to Romanian, Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian.


Hawaiʻian

Today Molokaʻi is often called the Friendly Isle, possibly due to the fact that the largest population of Native Hawaiians live there. Historically, Molokaʻi has been a place for the spiritual leaders of the Hawaiʻian culture to gather.

2007, Jake Goldberg, Joyce Hart, “Geography: The Island State”, in Hawaiʻi (Juvenile Literature), Marshall Cavendish, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 19:

(Hawaii) Alternative spelling of Hawaiian


Macedo-Romanian

gjuha maqedorumune

Aromanian, the Aromanian language — see also Aromanian

The Megleno-Romanian language (sometimes)


Lipan

The Athabascan language these people speak.


Laz

A Kartvelian language of Turkey and Caucasian Georgia, related to Georgian, Mingrelian, and Svan.


Oaxacan

Unsurprisingly, the Oaxacan cheese steak sandwich contains jalapeno peppers.

Relating to, or from, the Mexican state of Oaxaca.


Oaxacan

A native or inhabitant of the Mexican state of Oaxaca.


dwi-

(chemistry, dated) A designation prefix for undiscovered chemical elements lying two periods under a known element in the periodic table. (For example, rhenium was called dwi-manganese before its discovery in 1925.)


Baagandji

Bagandji (alternative)
Bagundji (alternative)
Paakantyi (alternative)
Paakantji (alternative)

A Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal suffixing language spoken on the Darling River.


Thurston

Tutton (alternative)
Thurstan (alternative)

A male given name from the Germanic languages, occasional transferred use of the surname.


Torquil

Anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Torcall, from Old Norse Þorkell, from older Þorketill, from Þórr (“Thor”) + ketill (“(sacrificial) cauldron”).

af

(rare outside Scotland) A male given name from Scottish Gaelic.


Kievan

From Kiev + -an, from Russian Ки́ев (Kíjev).

(historical) Of or associated with the city of Kiev, especially when referring to the medieval period (c. 880–c. 1150) when the city dominated the East Slavic lands which today are Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.


East Indian

From East Indies + -ian. May also be analyzed as east + Indian.

A native or inhabitant of the Malay Archipelago, Sri Lanka, or India.


Proto-Slavic

(linguistics) A hypothetical, reconstructed language whence all the Slavic languages later descended.

Common Slavonic

more accurately referring to a late form of Proto-Slavic

Old Slavonic

may also refer to Old East Slavic or Old Church Slavonic


Helga

From Old Norse Helga ("holy"), a pre-Christian term, feminine form of Helgi. Doublet of Olga.

A female given name from Old Norse occasionally borrowed from Scandinavia.


Thora

Short form of Old Norse female given names beginning with Þórr (“Thor”).


Tyra

A female given name originating as a coinage, of African American usage.


Trinidadian

Donning a tracksuit in the colors of the American flag and a Team USA shirt that paid respect to the late NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, Snoop Dogg laced up for a 200-meter exhibition race against Trinidadian former Olympic medalist Ato Boldon and two-time NCAA outdoor 200m champion Wallace Spearmon.

2024 June 25, Sam Joseph, “Snoop Dogg delivers mic drop moments at US trials as 52-year-old runs 200m in 34.44 seconds”, in CNN:

Of, from, or pertaining to Trinidad or to the people or language of that country.

trinidadien

of, from, or pertaining to Trinidad or to the people or language of that country


Bevan

A male given name transferred from the surname.


front name

“Well, the front name I goes by nowadays is Dick,” said he, “and as I ain’t got no partic’ler use for no more name, jes’ call me Dick. […] ”

1897 March, Montague Stevens, “‘Front Name’ Dick”, in The Cosmopolitan, Volume XXII, Number 5, The Cosmopolitan Press (1897), page 553

Because, yesterday everybody said ‘Dr. Lavendar.’ I didn’t think Doctor could be your front name. All the other people had front names.

1905–6, Margaret Wade Campbell Deland, The Awakening of Helena Richie, Harper & Brothers (1906), page 97

"Alfred. Too much ceremony about surnames. Between friends like us, surnames are all wrong. As a friend... purely as a friend, I ask you...what's your front name?"

1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 185:

I remember one super-cool Chicano in high school who was forever trying to make movidas (time) with every female he saw. His opening line inevitably was 'girl what's your front name'.

1981 January 27, Alicia Velasquez Angelo, “Careless Bilingual Student May Tell It Like It Isn't”, in Modesto Bee:

“Mr. Hooker, sa... Mr. Hooker, I...” “And forget the Mr., too. We're friends.” “That would not be polite. And I do not know your front name.”

2003, Mickey Spillane, Something's Down There: A Novel - Page 11


Emmy

Emmys (plural)
Emmie (alternative)
Emme (alternative)

There was a buxom Irish servant-girl, who […] had […] striven to give Amelia aid or consolation. Emmy was much too sad to answer, or even to be aware of the attempts the other was making in her favour.

1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:

A diminutive of Emily, Emma, Emmeline or Amelia, also used as a female given name.


Emmie

A diminutive of the female given names Emily and Emma.


Emile

A male given name from Latin of Latin origin, an anglicized spelling of French Émile.


Gerda

Latinate variant of Scandinavian Gerd, from Old Norse Gerðr, garðr (“protection”). The name occurs in nineteenth century Swedish poetry and in Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen (1844).

A female given name from the Germanic languages occasionally used in English, mostly around 1900.


Trudy

Trudi (alternative)
Trudie (alternative)
Truddy (alternative)

A diminutive of Gertrude, also used as a formal female given name.


Trudie

A female given name, variant spelling of Trudy, a pet form of Gertrude.


Trudi

In some cases, a 20th-century spelling of Trudy; in other cases borrowed from German Trudi.

She had a twin sister named Heidi and neither Trudi or Heidi liked their names. They were the names (in the opinion of Heidi and Trudi) of goat-herding girls and American hookers, of girls who wore their hair in plaits and drank milk or had sex dressed as French maids and nurses. Of girls who never grew up. Trudi and Heidi had no idea why they were so called.

2002, Kate Atkinson, Not the End of the World, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 10:

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Proto-Celtic

The putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages.


fatha

fathas (plural)
fatḥa (alternative)
fatHa (alternative)

Borrowed from Arabic فَتْحَة (fatḥa, “an opening”), instance noun of the verb فَتَحَ (fataḥa, “to open”). Refers to the mouth position when pronouncing the /a/ vowel. Doublet of patach and ptaha, denoting the open vowel in the Hebrew and Syriac scripts.

أَلِف ألف#Arabic

أَلِف مَقْصُورَة
ألف مقصورة#Arabic

In Arabic script, the vowel point for a, appearing as a diagonal line placed above a letter ( ـَ ) and designating a short a /a/. If the Arabic letters ا (أَلِف (ʔalif)) or ى (أَلِف مَقْصُورَة (ʔalif maqṣūra)) immediately follow, it indicates a long ā /aː/.

فَتْحَة

in the Arabic script, the vowel point for "a" (fatḥa)


Proto-Oceanic

A proposed common ancestor of the group of Oceanic languages.


Chic

A diminutive of the male given name Charles.


Rutherford

From Old English hryþer (“cattle”) + ford (“ford”). The first element is from Proto-Germanic *hrunþaz.

(rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.


Aleisha

A female given name from the Germanic languages, a modern nonstandard spelling of Alicia.


Dagmar

/ˈdæɡmɑː(ɹ)/

A female given name from the Germanic languages of Danish origin, in occasional use since the end of the 19th century.


Astrid

Borrowed from modern Scandinavian (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) Astrid since the 19th century.

Astrid, the person is saying. Astrum, astralis. How does it feel to have such a starry name?

2005, Ali Smith, The Accidental, Penguin, published 2006, →ISBN, page 31:


Beatrix

A Latinate variant of the standard English Beatrice.

Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated children's books.


Magnolia

Our blooming friend, the handsome and stalworth Magnolia, having got a confidential hint from agitated Mrs. Mack, trudged up to the mills, in a fine frenzy, vowing vengeance on Mary Matchwell, for she liked poor Sally Nutter well.

1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

"Nobody could have a name like Magnolia."
"They could if they came from South Carolina, as she did. In the southern states of America you can't throw a brick without hitting a Magnolia."

1971, P.G. Wodehouse, Much Obliged, Jeeves, Barrie and Jenkins, published 1971, page 24:

A female given name from English, one of the less common flower names invented in the 19th century.


Hooman

From Persian هومن (human, literally “good-natured”), from Middle Persian [Term?].

bor

هومن هومن#Persian

A transliteration of the Persian male given name هومن (human).


Prakrit

Prakrits (plural)
Pracrit (alternative)
Prākrit (alternative)

/ˈpɹɑː.kɹɪt/

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्राकृत (prākṛta).

lbor

Online Etymology Dictionary
w:Online Etymology Dictionary

Any one of several Middle Indo-Aryan languages, all derived from dialects of Old Indo-Aryan languages.

պրակրիտ

any of Middle Indo-Aryan languages, derived from dialects of Old Indo-Aryan languages


Sigrid

From modern Scandinavian (Norwegian, Danish and Swedish Sigrid), a name known in Norse saga, and used by Swedish royalty; Old Norse Sigríðr.

A female given name from the Scandinavian languages, of fairly rare usage.


Siri

From Norwegian Siri, a variant of Sigrid, whence also English Sigrid.


Ingrid

From Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Ingrid, from Old Norse Ingiríðr.


Krystin

A female given name from Ancient Greek, one of the modern spelling variants of Kristin.


Linnea

A female given name from Latin of Swedish origin, occasionally used since the twentieth century.


Ellinor

A rare spelling variant of Elinor or Eleanor.


nonhuman

nonhuman animals

nonhuman agents

Much, perhaps most, Minecraft fiction follows the robinsonade template, emphasizing the day-to-day life of a character, including nonhuman characters, striving to survive and thrive in a recognizably Minecraftian world by utilizing its resources.

2020, Michael T. Wilson, “Minecraft Fiction”, in Anne H. Stevens, Molly C. O’Donnell, editors, The Microgenre: A Quick Look at Small Culture, Bloomsbury Academic, →ISBN:


Aanya

From Sanskrit [Term?] (“inexhaustible”).

A female given name from Sanskrit, of Indian usage.


Radhesh

From a Hindi words radha (Lord Krishna's devotee) and eesh (God). Hindi grammar thus give the meaning as radha's god i.e. Krishna.

A male given name from India, of Indian usage.


two-tier

two-tier policing

two-tier Keir (nickname for prime minister Keir Starmer)

(UK politics, derogatory) Giving preferential treatment to left-wingers over right-wingers.


Proto-Balto-Slavic

(linguistics) The hypothetical ancestor language or protolanguage of Baltic and Slavic languages, descending from Proto-Indo-European.


Amadeus

/ˌæməˈdeɪəs/

From Latin Amadeus, from Latin amo (“love”) + deus (“god”).


Nestor

From Ancient Greek Νέστωρ (Néstōr), possibly from νέομαι (néomai, “to return safely”), νόστος (nóstos, “homecoming”).

Standing in her entrance, two men in white silk suits and butterfly-looking lace bow ties, black instrument cases by their side and black-brimmed white hats in their hands–my father, Nestor Castillo, thin and broad-shouldered, and Uncle Cesar, thickset and immense.

1989, Oscar Hijuelos, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 4:

A male given name from Ancient Greek, rare in English.


Dakotan

An inhabitant or a resident of the state of North Dakota or South Dakota.


Dakotan

The language of the native Dakota people.


Iowan

A native or resident of the state of Iowa in the United States of America.


Kansan

A native or resident of the state of Kansas in the United States of America.


Nebraskan

A native or resident of the state of Nebraska in the United States of America.


Tennesseean

Tennesseeans (plural)
Tennessean (alternative)

An inhabitant or a resident of the state of Tennessee.


Missourian

Missourians (plural)
Missouran (alternative)

A native or resident of the state of Missouri in the United States of America.


Washingtonian

/wɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/

Any real Washingtonian will be quick to tell you that "Washington state" is a university.

A native or resident of the state of Washington in the United States of America.


Arizonan

Many Arizonans speak Navajo.

There is a great value and even a life lesson in the story of a native Arizonan.

2009 May 21, Stephen Des Georges, “Oral history class preserves history, promotes community”, in Arizona State University:

A native or resident of the state of Arizona in the United States of America.


Vermonter

Vermont Central—Central Vermont. By Edward Hungerford, David W. Sargent, Jr., Lawrence Doherty and Charles E. Fisher, Boston, Massachusetts: The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Inc., Baker Library, Harvard Business School. [...] These natural obstacles increased the difficulty of providing transport, but the intrepid Vermonters determined to have a railway linking the Great Lakes with Boston, independent of New York—and they achieved it.

1943 March and April, “Railway Literature”, in Railway Magazine, page 126:

But April is a whimsical month when Vermonters and Hampshirites alike are disposed to antic adventures such as trekking to Boston to get married or to New York to see the sights.

1959, Charles Morrow Wilson, The Magnificent Scufflers: Revealing the Great Days when America Wrestled the World, Stephen Greene Press, page 60:

A native or resident of the state of Vermont in the United States of America.


North Dakotan

A native or resident of the state of North Dakota in the United States of America.


South Dakotan

A native or resident of the state of South Dakota in the United States of America.


Idahoan

A native or resident of the state of Idaho in the United States of America.


Rhode Islander

A native or resident of the state of Rhode Island in the United States of America.


New Hampshirite

en-noun

New Hampshirite (plural New Hampshirites)

Wentworth may have been an employee of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but he lived in New Hampshire and was a devoted New Hampshirite.

2006, Fletcher Haulley, A Primary Source History of the Colony of New Hampshire, page 35:

A native or resident of the state of New Hampshire in the United States of America.


Bradlee

A male given name transferred from the surname, of rare usage, variant of Bradley.


Loren

A male given name from German Lorenz, Spanish Lorenzo, or Italian Lorenzo, equivalent to English Laurence, all in turn derived from Latin Laurentius (“Lawrence”).

A female given name from Latin, of rare usage, variant of Lauren.


Sander

en-proper noun

Sander (countable and uncountable, plural Sanders)

(obsolete) A diminutive of the male given name Alexander, from Ancient Greek.


Sacha

A unisex given name from French, equivalent to English Sasha.


Xander

A diminutive of the male given name Alexander, from Ancient Greek, of modern usage.


Bazza

From Barry (or any personal name starting Ba-) + -zza.

“Barry, you've been on the Coast too long. Tomorrow morning I'm going to organize a job for you elsewhere. I'd start packing if I were you.”
However, Bazza wasn't put off that easily.

(British, Ireland, Australia) A diminutive of the male given name Barry.

‘I′m standing at me own door, Bazza. Nothing illegal in that, is there?’
‘Do you want a lift, Basil?’ I asked him.

2001, Kerryn Higgs, All That False Instruction, page 181:

(British, Ireland, Australia) A diminutive of the male given name Basil.


East Berliner

(dated, historical) A resident of East Berlin.


Casper

Alternative spelling of Caspar. The slur denoting a white person is an allusion to Casper the Friendly Ghost. The skateboarding term is named after Bobby Boyden, a professional skateboarder who was given the nickname "Casper" as a child because of his pale skin (again in allusion to the friendly ghost).

A male given name from Old Persian, of occasional usage, variant of Caspar.


Eloi

From French Éloi, from Medieval Latin Eligius, chiefly after Saint Eligius, from Latin ēligere (“to pick, to choose from”) + -ius (“-y: forming adjectives and names”).


Galatian

/ɡəˈleɪ.ʃən/

A member of an ancient Celtic tribe from Galatia (now part of Turkey)


Galatian

/ɡəˈleɪ.ʃən/

The now-extinct Celtic language of this tribe.


Wathawurung

An Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama-Nyungan family.


Bactrian

An extinct Eastern Iranian language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria, also called Tocharistan, in northern Afghanistan.


Tanglish

A variety of English spoken by native Tamil speakers.


Europanto

/jʊəɹ.əˈpæn.təʊ/

A blend from Latin Eurōpa (“Europe”) + Ancient Greek πᾰντός (păntós), from πᾶς (pâs, “all, whole”). Literally, “all Europe”.

An artificial language originally created by Diego Marani in 1996, combining vocabulary from a number of European languages.


Daniella

A female given name from Hebrew derived from Daniel, variant of Daniela and Danielle.


Irina

From Russian Ири́на (Irína), akin to English Irene.

Ири́на Ирина#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian female given name Ири́на (Irína).


Wally World

Derived from "Walley World", the name of a fictional theme park patterned after Disneyland in the 1983 movie National Lampoon's Vacation.

I thought I could replace him / so went down to a local wally world / and the salesman says / hey mister / what's a pet rock / and my heart grew cold / Lord / what's this world / coming to.

2002, R. D. McManes, “i buried my pet rock”, in We Ain't in Kansas No More, page 29:

"Wally World?" He felt like he was playing a new board game and was just getting the hang of the rules. “Around here,” Daisy said, “Wal-Mart is often called Wally World.

2002, Shelby Lewis, Simply Marvelous, page 83:

I had a nicely appointed (realtors' jargon for Wally World baroque) mobile home, a sort of plush culvert on wheels, and a new dog.

2004, Bob Wyatt., Trout Hunting: The Pursuit of Happiness, page 172:

"Her daughter was reported as saying Kandi ought to be used to Wally World by now.” “Guess so,” Daisy said, her manner thoughtful.

2004, Shelby Lewis, Simply Wild, page 238:

Over in the corner there was a raised platform, with a roll of background screens behind it, kind of like at the Wally World stores.

2007, Toni White, Ridge Street Home, page 36:

The man obviously had an aversion to Wally World: receiving stolen property in '73, […]; receiving stolen property in '78; […]; and grand theft […].

2007, L. W. Fugett, Murder in the Bluegrass, page 3:


Timon

And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 6:5:

Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon!
Ah! when the means are gone that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made.

~1607 William Shakespeare: Timon of Athens, Act II, Scene II

A male given name from Ancient Greek of mostly historical use.


Meridith

A female given name from Welsh, variant of Meredith.


Old Tupi

An extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the native Tupi people of Brazil.


Obed

From Hebrew אובד or עוֹבֵד (Oved, “servant”).

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Derick

A male given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Derek.


Deryck

A male given name from the Germanic languages, a less common spelling of Derek.


Ronny

Shortening of Ronald + -y. A less common spelling of Ronnie.

A diminutive of the male given name Ronald.


Mickey D

Clanton and Carolyn made no complaints, but she could tell they would have preferred a Mickey D to her festive efforts. The best thing about the turkey was the skin.

1996, Francine Rivers, The Scarlet Thread, page 417:

Tejada quickly sobered them: "How much a cow weigh after Mickey D be through with him?

1997, Tony Chiu, Positive Match, page 110:

[…] the local metropolis, population twelve thousand, a Mickey D, three gas stations, and a Bi-Lo […].

2003, Robert K. Tanenbaum, Absolute Rage, page 13:

Damn thing even promised free Mickey D chicken salad coupons for filling out questionnaires.

2006, Elizabeth Whitmer, Aloha Rainbow, page 154:

(slang) McDonald's, a chain of fast-food restaurants.


Alina

Borrowed from Italian Alina, or a Latinate form of French Aline, ultimately from diminutives of the same Germanic name Adela, Adele.

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Hilma

Used in early 19th-century Scandinavian literature, probably as a variant of Wilhelmina.

A female given name from the Germanic languages in occasional use at the turn of the 20th century.


Vogul

The Finno-Ugric language spoken in Khantia-Mansia.


Dorian

Constructed like the French Doriens. From the Latin root of Dōres + -ian. Compare Ancient Greek Δωριεύς (Dōrieús, “of Doris”).

cog

A male given name from Ancient Greek, famously used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891).


Raul

A male given name from Spanish, an Anglicized form of Spanish Raúl.


Liv

A female given name. From Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish, from Old Norse "hlíf," meaning "defense, protection; byrnie, shield" Influenced by the modern Scandinavian word "liv" meaning "life."


Tocharian A

(linguistics) The eastern member of the Tocharian branch of Indo-European languages, extinct since the ninth century. Once spoken in the Tarim Basin in Central Asia.


Tocharian B

(linguistics) The western member of the Tocharian branch of Indo-European languages, extinct since the ninth century. Once spoken in the Tarim Basin in Central Asia.


Western European

en-noun

Western European (plural Western Europeans)

Western Europeans (plural)
West European (alternative)

A Western European person; one who comes from or lives in Western Europe.


Eastern European

Eastern European (plural Eastern Europeans)

Eastern Europeans (plural)
Eastern Euro (alternative)
East European (alternative)

An Eastern European person; one who comes from or lives in Eastern Europe.


Northern European

Northern European (plural Northern Europeans)

A Northern European person; one who comes from or lives in Northern Europe.


Southern European

Southern European (plural Southern Europeans)

A Southern European person; one who comes from or lives in Southern Europe.


Central European

Central European (plural Central Europeans)

From Central Europe + -ean, or central + European.

Central Europeans also have in their heads a number of different historical maps and milestones that are not particularly well known outside the region or necessarily respected by their neighbors, and they still regularly use them as points of orientation.

1996, Lonnie R. Johnson, Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends, page 5:

Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, and Slovene national elites have tried desperately to prove that their countries do not belong to the "East"; that they are, indeed, Central Europeans.

2003, Ivan T. Berend, History Derailed: Central and Eastern Europe in the Long Nineteenth Century, page xiii:

A Central European person; one who comes from or lives in Central Europe.


Welsher

(rare, obsolete) Synonym of Walian: a Welsh person, a Welshman or Welshwoman.


Herschel

(Uranus): after its discoverer, William Herschel.

Herschel Walker’s campaign for Senate removed a false claim – which inaccurately said the Republican candidate graduated from the University of Georgia – from a website for his Senate bid, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

2021 December 17, Rachel Janfaza, “Herschel Walker campaign deletes a false claim saying the Republican candidate for Senate graduated from college”, in CNN:


Massachusett

The Algonquian language of the Massachusett tribe.


Wampanoag

Wampanoag (plural Wampanoags or Wampanoag)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Wampanoag.wav

A member of a current Native American nation currently consisting of five affiliated tribes.


redargue

en-verb

redargue (third-person singular simple present redargues, present participle redarguing, simple past and past participle redargued)

redargues (present singular third-person)
redarguing (participle present)
redargued (participle past)
redargued (past)

/ɹɪˈdɑːɡjuː/

From Late Middle English redarguen, redargue (“to defeat (someone) in an argument; to rebuke, reprove”), from Middle French redarguer and Old French redargüer (“to disprove, refute; to accuse, blame; to rebuke, reprove”) (modern French rédarguer), and from their etymon Latin redarguere (“to disprove, refute”) (compare Late Latin redarguere (“to rebuke, reprove”)), the present active infinitive of redarguō (“to disprove, refute; to contradict”), from red- (a variant of re- (prefix meaning ‘again’)) + arguō (“to assert, declare; to clarify, make plain; to prove, show; to accuse, charge with; to censure, rebuke, reprove; to blame; to denounce as false”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- (“argent, white; glittering”), in the sense of casting light on something to make it clear). Doublet of argue.
Cognates
* Catalan redargüir
* Italian redarguire
* Old Occitan redarguir
* Portuguese redargüir
* Spanish redargüir

der

Dia[ph Silkworm]. Sir, Ile redargue you, / By diſputation. / Com[passe]. O let's heare this! / I long to heare a man diſpute in his ſhirt / Of valour, and his ſvvord dravvne in his hand.

1632 (first performance), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “The Magnetick Lady: Or, Humors Reconcil’d. A Comedy […]”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio), London: […] Richard Meighen, published 1640, →OCLC, Act III, scene vi, page 39:

To disprove or refute (someone) in an argument.

Nathaniel Carpenter [i.e., Nathanael Carpenter] late Fellow of Exceter Colledge in Oxford, in the ſecond booke and ſeventh chapter of his learned Geographicall concluſions, thus fully redargues that forgerie.

1635, George Hakewill, “Touching Grammar, Rhetorique, Logicke, the Mathematiques, Philosophy, Architecture, the Arts of Painting and Navigation”, in An Apologie or Declaration of the Power and Providence of God in the Government of the World. […], 3rd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] William Turner […], →OCLC, book III, section 4 (Of the Art of Navigation, […]), page 310:

[T]he objections you mention, I humbly conceive, are ſuch as may be redargued, if not entirely removed— […]

1771, [Tobias Smollett], “To Mr. Henry Davis, Bookseller, in London”, in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker […], volume I, London: […] W. Johnston, […]; and B. Collins, […], →OCLC, pages v–vi:

To rebut or refute (an argument, a proposition, etc.).


Meggan

A female given name from Welsh, a rare nonstandard spelling of the Welsh Megan.


JoAnne

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Joanne.


Emirati

From Emirates (“United Arab Emirates”) + -i.

United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates

Of, from, or pertaining to the United Arab Emirates.

إِمَارَاتِيّ

of, from, or pertaining to United Arab Emirates