sobriquet Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name)
    moniker; cognomen; byname; nickname; soubriquet.
    • Joe's mother would not use his nickname and always called him Joseph
    • Henry's nickname was Slim

WordNet

So`bri`quet" noun
Etymology
F. sobriquet, OF. soubzbriquet, soubriquet, a chuck under the chin, hence, an affront, a nickname; of uncertain origin; cf. It. sottobecco a chuck under the chin.
Definitions
  1. An assumed name; a fanciful epithet or appellation; a nickname. Sometimes less correctly written soubriquet.

Webster 1913