Dick

DIK

A short English pet form of Richard, ultimately meaning “firm ruler.”

Meaning

Dick is an English nickname and pet form of Richard, a name built from Germanic elements meaning “firm” and “ruler.” The excerpts also show it as a familiar short form used alongside Dickon and other Richard-forms in English usage.

Origin

Fun fact

The excerpts note that “Dick” was one of the everyday short forms that gave rise to related surnames and pet-name forms like Dickon.

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Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland, A list of Christian names, their derivatives, nicknames and equivalents in several languages, Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature.

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