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Asobriquet (/ˈsoʊbrɪˌkeɪ,ˌsoʊbrɪˈkeɪ/SOH-brih-kay, -KAY) is a descriptivenickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from apseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may become more familiar than the original name.
An example is Mohandas Gandhi, who is better known asMahatma Gandhi ("mahatma" means "great soul" inSanskrit).
The termsobriquet is equally applicable as a name for a person, group of people, historical event, or place. Well-known places often have sobriquets, such asNew York City, often called the "Big Apple", orRome, the "Eternal City" , orVienna, the "Golden Apple".
The modern French and English spelling issobriquet.[1] Two earlier variants aresoubriquet andsotbriquet. The first variant, "soubriquet", dates from the 15th century and is rarely used now, in English or French.[1][2]
The early 14th-centurysoubzsbriquez meant a "little blow under the chin", also described as a chuck under the chin; this was derived fromsoubs, mod.sous (Latin:sub), under.[2]
Sobriquets are "a form of identification that goes beyond a traditional name and offers insight into a person’s character, appearance, profession, or any other distinguishing feature".[3] They are used in politics, music, literature and for royalty, celebrities, and athletes.[4]
Candidates for public office and political figures may be described with sobriquets, while living or posthumously. For example,president of the United StatesAbraham Lincoln was called "Honest Abe".[5] An affectionate contemporary sobriquet forUlysses S. Grant was the "American Sphinx" as a man of deeds rather than for verbal self-promotion.[6]
Early uses of sobriquets in writing and literature include theDead Sea Scrolls[7] and inTang andSong (Southern Sung) dynasty poetry.[8] Contemporary usage is common in the English and French languages.[2]
Lincoln won his nickname "Honest Abe" while practicing law in the circuit courts of Illinois during the 1850s. Colleagues ranked him "at the head of his profession in the state" in part because of their absolute confidence that he never told a lie.
A big celebration of the Big Yin is kicking off on the BBC Scotland channel.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sobriquet".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
The dictionary definition ofsobriquet at Wiktionary