NikkiWiki etymology

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[Image.]  The English name "Nikki" derives from Nike, the Greek winged goddess of victory, also known as the Roman goddess Victoria.  The "Swooshes" on Nike sneakers represent the wings of the goddess Nike. [1]  Nike is represented here bearing a laurel wreath of victory. [2] [3] [4] [5]

The simplest etymology for "NikkiWiki" is as a portmanteau for "Nikki's Wiki", with "Nikki" being a hypocoristic diminutive for "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 to the ability to quickly write webpages using "wiki markup" ("quick markup"). [6] [7] [8]

  • 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 hypocorism 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 hypocorism of "Nicole".  The English female name "Nicky" as a hypocorism for the English female name "Nicole" then derives from the English male name "Nick" as a hypocorism 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 Modern French female name "Nicole" and the Modern French male name "Nicholas" are both derived from the Old 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" (without any silent letters) is a direct borrowing from the Modern Greek Romanization 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", a namesake of the Greek goddess of victory, also known as the Roman goddess Victoria. [9]

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.  "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")

Note that while English "Nikki" and Japanese "nikki" (日記) are homographic, they are not homophonic.  In Japanese, "nikki" (Hiragana "にっき") and "niki" (Hiragana "にき") are two different pronunciations/spellings for the Kanji word "日記".  Romaji "kk" (with Hiragana "") represents a geminate consonant (sokuon).  Whereas in English both "Nikki" and "Niki" are prounounced the same (they are homophones), with the second "k" in "Nikki" being a silent letter and not a gemination.  So the English name "Nikki" (referring to "Nikki Sharp") in Japanese should be pronounced as "niki" (Hiragana "にき") and not as "nikki" (Hiragana "にっき") but either pronunciation can be acceptable when used in the compound word "NikkiWiki".

see also

references

  1. wikipedia:Swoosh#History
  2. commons:category:Nike (mythology)
  3. commons:category:Nike (mythology) in art
  4. commons:category:Nike by medium
  5. commons:category:drawings of Nike
  6. https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=wiki
  7. https://hilo.hawaii.edu/wehe/?q=wiki
  8. https://hilo.hawaii.edu/wehe/?q=wikiwiki
  9. wikipedia:Goddess Nike