Moniker

Moniker

A moniker (or monicker) is another term for a nickname, pseudonym, or cognomen. Since the mid-19th century, the title has been used as a personal or professional name, instead of the person's given name, for works of art, music, books, and performances, for example by clowns. In the 21st century, monikers are also commonly used in small subcultures, the Internet, and in broadcasting, usually on radio stations.

Contents

Etymology

Although there are various theories about the origin of the word, the most widely accepted is that it comes from Shelta, the cant language of Irish travellers. The word is believed to have derived from the Irish word ainm, and became munik in Shelta. It had spread to London as an English slang word for "name" by 1851. The first line of the Lord's Prayer translated into a modern version of Shelta is: "Our gathra, who cradgies in the manyak-norch, we turry kerrath about your moniker."[1]

Clowning

The word "monicker", or more rarely "monikker", is among clowns, most often intentionally misspelled, with a 'c' in accordance with clown tradition that some words are inherently funny (and hence to be preferred over "unfunny" words). The "clown world" has widely embraced "monicker" as equivalent to a stage name or pseudonym. A monicker is considered by a professional clown to be sacrosanct by the traditional code of non-infringement. The monicker is considered to be an attribute of the character of the clown and not of the performer. Monicker, in clown usage, can generally be considered synonymous with the terms clown name and professional name. In declining use, it may mean a clown performer's personal nickname, (e.g., Joseph Grimaldi's monicker was "Joey") rather than the name of the performer's clown.

Computer science

The word "moniker" is used, mainly in Microsoft APIs, to describe objects that act as identifiers. The exact information contained in a moniker depends upon the context but it is usually composed of one or several of the following fields: numerical/textual identifier (similar to a GUID), name, path on a filesystem, url, etc. The moniker is also supposed to be immutable and creating a new identifier usually implies creating a new moniker. The word is used in COM,[2] in Microsoft Dynamics[3] as well as SQL Server[4] or ActiveX.[5]

See also

References


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  • moniker — (also monicker) ► NOUN informal ▪ a name. DERIVATIVES monikered adjective. ORIGIN of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

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  • moniker — monicker monicker, moniker moniker . The name of a person, especially an alias or a nickname. [slang] Syn: nickname, alias, sobriquet, cognomen. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • moniker — noun /ˈmɒn.ɪ.kə,ˈmɑn.ɪ.kɚ/ a) A personal name or nickname. The rookie policewoman was upset being called Lemon Drop until she realized that everyone on the police force has a moniker. b) A signature An unidentified citizen filed the complaint… …   Wiktionary

  • moniker — [[t]mɒ̱nɪkə(r)[/t]] monikers N COUNT The moniker of a person or thing is their name, especially when they have changed it. [INFORMAL] She s the author of three detective novels under the moniker of Janet Neel …   English dictionary

  • moniker — UK [ˈmɒnɪkə(r)] / US [ˈmɑnɪkər] noun [countable] Word forms moniker : singular moniker plural monikers humorous a name, or a nickname …   English dictionary

  • Moniker — Recorded in a number of forms including Moncur, Mankor, Minker, Moniker, Moncarr, Muncor and Muncer, this is a famous Scottish surname. It is one which is claimed to be ultimately of Norman French origins, and if so may well owe something to the… …   Surnames reference

  • moniker — (monniker) n a name, nickname or alias. No defini tive history of this word has been estab lished. What is known is that it has existed in various spellings since the mid 19th century and that it was first used by tramps, vagrants and other… …   Contemporary slang

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