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Old Nick. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Old Nick, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Old Nick in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Old Nick you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Originally 17th century. Apparently a special use of the forename Nick, perhaps in jocular or contrastive reference to Saint Nicholas. Alternatively, it may be derived from nicker, or some other derivative of Old English nicor (“water demon”).[1]
Proper noun
Old Nick
- The Devil; Satan.
- Synonyms: Old Harry, Old Scratch, Old Serpent; see also Thesaurus:Satan
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 158:He sat down in the middle of the floor, took his chalk out and marked a large ring around him, and round about this he wrote the Lord's Prayer, and then he did not feel afraid even if Old Nick himself should come.
References
- ^ William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E Smith, editors (1914), “Nick”, in The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language, revised edition, volumes III (Hoop–O), New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC, page 3986, column 2.