Nickname (dictionary)

BoyWiki Dictionary: Nickname (dictionary)

n [nik-neym]

¹ a substituted for the proper name of a person.

² a pseudonym used on the internet

A nickname is taken when communicating online in order to identify oneself. It need not resemble one's real name, and indeed rarely does, especially in the boylover community.

Multiple nicknames

Some individuals occasionally take multiple nicknames, for reasons such as

• personality: the poster feels that he reveals another part of his personality when discussing certain topics, and wishes to reflect this;
• role: the poster wishes his nick to reflect the role he is currently playing, such as administrator, moderator, or regular poster;
• security: the poster wishes to discuss certain personal information, but does not feel comfortable connecting it to his regular online identity.

When additional nicknames are taken for security reasons the link between them is usually secret. Revealing that secretly connected nicknames are used by the same person (that is, nick linking) is considered a hostile act, unless the person does so himself.

Etymology

Originally eke name, "additional name". eke is a Middle English word meaning "also". The initial N comes from a misdivision of "an ekename".