Word of the Day: MONIKER

What's in a name?

moniker (noun) - a name, nickname, or alias

BREAKDOWN: Moniker may have a short and specific definition, but its origins are convoluted and unclear. Some sources suggest the word is a corruption of monarch, others a derivation of monogram. The word may have been a hobo term, a version of Spanish muñeca meaning doll, or an allusion to the word monk. Apparently, nobody knows for sure.

(About the term nepo baby) “Nobody rips on a kid who’s like, ‘I want to be a doctor like my dad and granddad.' The truth is if you grow up in a house with a lot of artists and people making art and music, that’s what you know, the same way that if you grow up in a house of law, the discussions around the table are about the nuances of whatever particular law the parents practice. I think it’s kind of an ugly moniker.” —Gwyneth Paltrow

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not derived from classical roots.]