Definition of SOBRIQUET (original) (raw)

: a descriptive name or epithet : nickname

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This synonym of nickname has the same meaning in modern French as it does in English. In Middle French, however, its earlier incarnation soubriquet referred to both a nickname and a tap under the chin. Centuries later, the connection between these two meanings isn't clear, but what is clear is that the "nickname" meaning of sobriquet was well established in French by the time English speakers borrowed the term in the 17th century—and was the only meaning that was adopted. In current English, the spelling sobriquet is most common, but soubriquet is also an accepted variant.

Synonyms

Examples of sobriquet in a Sentence

Baseball player Ty Cobb was also known by the sobriquet “The Georgia Peach.” tagged her with the sobriquet “peanut” because of her diminutive size

Recent Examples on the Web

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The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington’s Most Famous Hostess by Meryl Gordon Perle Mesta acquired many sobriquets during her long life. —Robin Olson, airmail.news, 4 Jan. 2025 That reputation earned Bayer Leverkusen the unflattering sobriquet Bayer Neverkusen—which explains itself. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2024 The family’s sing-songy pronunciation makes the sobriquet sound almost Italian to my ears, somewhere in the range of Papa-tierri, a mondegreen that elicits no shortage of laughter among celebrants. —Nico Lang, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2024 They weren’t referred to by this sobriquet in our family. —Sage Mehta, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sobriquet