NikkiWiki etymology

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The simplest etymology for "NikkiWiki" is as a portmanteau for "Nikki's Wiki", with "Nikki" being a diminutive form of "Nicole" in English.  So then "NikkiWiki" is just a shortened form of "Nicole Sharp's Wiki".

  • Modern English (eng, n.) "NikkiWiki" ← Modern English (eng, n.) "Nikki's Wiki" ← Modern English (eng, n.) "Nikki Sharp's Wiki" ← Modern English (eng, n.) "Nicole Sharp's Wiki"

The English word "wiki" derives from the Hawaiian word "wikiwiki" meaning "quick", referring the to the ability to quickly write webpages using "wiki markup" ("quick markup").

  • Modern English (eng, n.) "wiki" ← Hawaiian (haw) "wikiwiki" (English "speedy" or "quick") ← Hawaiian (haw) "wiki" (English "to speed up" or "to make quick")

Symmetrophiles might be asking though: why "NikkiWiki" and not "NikiWiki"?  The English female name "Nikki" as a diminutive of the English female name "Nicole" derives from the English female name "Nicky" (where "-ck-" was replaced by "-kk-" and "-y" was replaced by "-i") which is another diminutive of "Nicole".  The English female name "Nicky" as a diminutive for the English female name "Nicole" then derives from the English male name "Nick" as a diminutive for the English male name "Nicholas" (where "-ch-" was replaced by "-ck-" and then elided).  Both the English female name "Nicole" and the English male name "Nicholas" derive from their French equivalents.  The French female name "Nicole" and the French male name "Nicholas" are both derived from the French male name "Nicolas" which is derived from the Latin male name "Nicolaus".  The Latin male name "Nicolaus" (Nīcolāus) is then derived from the Classical Greek male name "Νικόλαος" (Nīkólāos) which is derived from the Classical Greek female name "Νίκη" (Nī́kē) which in Modern Greek is "Νίκη" (Níki).  Thus the English female name "Niki" is a direct borrowing from the Romanization of Modern Greek (without any silent letters) whereas the English female name "Nikki" inherits its silent letter from its more convoluted usage through English and French history.  Both "Niki" and "Nikki" are alternative spellings for Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, also known as Victoria.

  • Modern English (eng, f.) "Nikki" ← Modern English (eng, f.) "Nicky" ← Modern English (eng, m.) "Nicky" ← Modern English (eng, m.) "Nick" ← Modern English (eng, m.) "Nicholas" ← Middle English (enm, m.) "Nicholas" ← Old French (fro, m.) "Nicholas" ← Old French (fro, m.) "Nicolas"
  • Modern English (eng, f.) "Nicole" ← Modern French (fra, f.) "Nicole" ← Old French (fro, m.) "Nicolas"
  • Old French (fro, m.) "Nicolas" ← Latin (lat, m.) "Nīcolāus" ← Classical Greek (grc, m.) "Νῑκόλᾱος" (Nīkólāos) ← Classical Greek (grc, f.) "Νῑ́κη" (Nī́kē, English "Nike" or "Victoria", goddess of victory) ← Classical Greek (grc, f.) "νῑ́κη" (nī́kē, English "victory" or "success")
  • Classical Greek (grc, f.) "Νῑ́κη" (Nī́kē) → Modern Greek (ell, f.) "Νίκη" (Níki) → Modern English (eng, f.) "Niki"

Should then "NikkiWiki" be translated as "successful wiki" or "quick success" from its roots in Greek and Hawaiian?  Well, technically yes but by coincidence, the English word "Nikki" is homographic with the Japanese Romaji word "nikki" (Hiragana "にっき", Kanji "日記") meaning "diary" or "journal".  So a better interpretation of "NikkiWiki" is as "nikkiwiki" which means "quickjournal" (or more literally "journal to make quick") as a Japanese-Hawaiian compound word or just "journalwiki" as a Japanese-English compound word.  "NikkiWiki" can also be interpreted as "NikkiNikkiWikiWiki" which means roughly "Nikki's quick journal wiki" in English, Japanese, and Hawaiian.

  • Modern English (eng, f.) "Nikki" ↚ Japanese (jpn) "日記" (nikki, English "diary" or "journal")