-nik

See also nik

English

Wikipedia

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 -nik and similar borrowed words (nogoodnik, nudnik, kibbutznik).

Suffix

-nik

1. Appended to words to create 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

[+] English words suffixed with -nik

Related terms

• kibbutznik
• nogoodnik
• nudnik

External links

• 1990 Autumn, V. V. Kabakchi; Doyle, Charles Clay, “Of Sputniks, Beatniks, and Nogoodniks”, American Speech, volume 65, number 3, JSTOR 455919, pages 275-278: 

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Ojibwe

Suffix

-nik (plural)

1. 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

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Polish

Suffix

-nik m

1. Forms masculine nouns referring to a performer of some action, sometimes a device; -er

Declension

Personal nouns:

    declension of -nik

	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:

    declension of -nik

	singular	plural
nominative	-nik	-niki
genitive	-nika	-ników
dative	-nikowi	-nikom
accusative	-nika	-niki
instrumental	-nikiem	-nikami
locative	-niku	-nikach
vocative	-niku	-niki

Derived terms

• pracownik
• rzutnik
• barwnik

Related terms

• -nica

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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)

1. Suffix appended to nominal stems to create a masculine noun, usually denoting a profession, performer, place, object, tool or a feature.

Derived terms

• Template:l/sh
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• Template:l/sh

Related terms

• Template:l/sh
• Template:l/sh

References

• Petar Skok, Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika, JAZU: Zagreb, 1971, Volume I, page 515