Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

moniker

/ˈmɑn.ɪ.kɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.06 in modern English

Syllables: moniker
IPA: /ˈmɑn.ɪ.kɚ/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A personal name or nickname; an informal label, often drawing attention to a particular attribute.

noun

A person's signature.

noun

An object (structured item of data) used to associate the name of an object with its location.

Example Sentences

"The rookie was upset at being called Lemon Drop until she realized that everyone on the team had a silly moniker."
"Again fairly common, and always amusing, are the monikers drawn from the (imagined) childhood of a particular vagrant."
"A gang member may receive a new identity by taking on a nickname, or moniker, which others in the gang world would recognize. Monikers affirm a youth's commitment to gang life and may become their sole identity, the only way they see thselves and the only name they go by."
"Recently, a class of reactions has gained tremendous attention in the chemistry community under the moniker of "click chemistry," a concept introduced by Kolb and colleagues."
"Actually, the various monikers Pilgrims, Puritans, Plymouth Rocks, Red Stockings, Hubs and Hubites were frequently used, informally, for both Boston big league clubs until 1912."
"The monikers of both these famously well-endowed movie stars contain enormous sworls (two of them, no less, for Ms West!) that could only signify you-know-what, according to Ms Koren."

Etymology

Unknown; first attested in 1849. Suggested derivations are: * Backslang for ekename (compare nickname); * From Shelta munik, munika; * From monk; * Partridge (A Dictionary of Historical Slang) suggests a corruption of monogram, which is suggestive of the sense signature. * From monarch in the sense 'king or No. 1, and thus with frank egotism, "I, myself".' (The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 281, pg. 349.) Online Etymological Dictionary's entry cites the Saturday Review (London newspaper) of 1857, which noted, "the word has a certain Coptic or Egyptian twang".

Origin

Source language: Coptic
First known use: first attested in 1849

Word Breakdown

Root: munik, -

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmɑn.ɪ.kɚ/
British English: /ˈmɒn.ɪ.kə/

Inflected Forms

monikers (plural) monicker (alternative) monniker (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

monikered

Phrases

nom de guerre nom de plume nom de Web

Frequently Paired Words

cognomen nom de guerre nom de plume nom de Web trademark

Synonyms

byname nickname pseudonym sobriquet street name to-name name nomenclature proper name tag

Homonyms

Monica (non-rhotic)

Questions

How do you pronounce moniker?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑn.ɪ.kɚ/.
What does moniker mean?: A personal name or nickname; an informal label, often drawing attention to a particular attribute.
Where does moniker come from?: It is traced to Coptic. First known use: first attested in 1849.

How to pronounce moniker

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “moniker”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɑn.ɪ.kɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “moniker”.
Repeat and practice — Say “moniker” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.