Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nickum” come from?

nickum (English) comes from Scots nickum, from English Nick, from English nickname, from Middle English nekename, from Middle English ekename, from Middle English eke, from Old English ēaca, from Proto-Germanic aukô.

nickum (English): A mischievous person; a scallywag

Definitions

  1. A mischievous person; a scallywag

Ancestry of “nickum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotsnickumscallywag, nickum
2EnglishNick—
3EnglishnicknameA familiar, invented name for a person or thing...
4Middle Englishnekename—
5Middle EnglishekenameA nickname
6Middle Englishekealso, additional
7Old Englishēacaan addition, increase, eeking; addition,...
8Proto-Germanicaukôincrease, addition
9Proto-Germanicaukanąto increase, to grow
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewg-to increase, to enlarge
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂weg-to increase, to enlarge
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ug-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug- →