-nik
English
Etymology
From the Slavic suffix (Russian: -ник (-nik)). This suffix experienced a surge in English coinages for nicknames and diminutives after the 1957 Soviet launch of the first Sputnik satellite. English usage is heavily influenced by Yiddish usage of ־ניק (-nik) and similar borrowed words (nogoodnik, nudnik, kibbutznik).
Suffix
-nik
- Creates a nickname for a person who exemplifies, endorses, or is associated with the thing or quality specified (by the base form), often a particular ideology or preference.
Derived terms
Further reading
Anagrams
Estonian
Etymology
Suffix
-nik (genitive -niku, partitive -nikku)
- Forms occupational agent nouns. (non-productive)
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | -nik | -nikud |
| accusative | -niku | -nikud |
| genitive | -niku | -nike -nikkude |
| partitive | -nikku | -nikke -nikkusid |
| illative | -nikku -nikusse |
-nikesse -nikkudesse |
| inessive | -nikus | -nikes -nikkudes |
| elative | -nikust | -nikest -nikkudest |
| allative | -nikule | -nikele -nikkudele |
| adessive | -nikul | -nikel -nikkudel |
| ablative | -nikult | -nikelt -nikkudelt |
| translative | -nikuks | -nikeks -nikkudeks |
| terminative | -nikuni | -nikeni -nikkudeni |
| essive | -nikuna | -nikena -nikkudena |
| abessive | -nikuta | -niketa -nikkudeta |
| comitative | -nikuga | -nikega -nikkudega |
Derived terms
Ojibwe
Suffix
-nik (plural -nikan)
- arm
- ingodonik — one arm; one armlength
- midaasonik — ten arms; ten armlengths
- jiiskinikebizon — bracelet; garter
- minikeyaab — armband; bracelet
- ninik — my arm
- gichinik — right hand
Related terms
- -nike
Polish
Suffix
-nik m
- Forms masculine nouns referring to a performer of some action, sometimes a device; -er
Declension
Personal nouns:
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | -nik | -nicy |
| genitive | -nika | -ników |
| dative | -nikowi | -nikom |
| accusative | -nika | -ników |
| instrumental | -nikiem | -nikami |
| locative | -niku | -nikach |
| vocative | -niku | -nicy |
Impersonal nouns:
Derived terms
Related terms
- -nica f
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *-(ь)nikъ, itself originally by nominalization of adjectives in *-ьnъ with the suffix *-ikъ (whence -ik). The suffix originates from Proto-Balto-Slavic period; compare with dialectal Lithuanian lauk-inykas (“peasant, farmer”) (from laũkas (“field”)) and Old Prussian lauk-inikis (“vassal”).
Suffix
-nik (Cyrillic spelling -ник)
- Suffix appended to nominal stems to create a masculine noun, usually denoting a profession, performer, place, object, tool or a feature.
Derived terms
Related terms
References
- Skok, Petar (1971) Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in Serbo-Croatian), volume I, Zagreb: JAZU, page 515