The English suffix -nik is of Slavic origin. It approximately corresponds to the suffix "-er" and nearly always denotes an agent noun (that is, it describes a person related to the thing, state, habit, or action described by the word to which the suffix is attached).[1] In the cases where a native English language coinage may occur, the "-nik"-word often bears an ironic connotation.
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The suffix existed in English in dormant state for a long time, in borrowed terms. An example is raskolnik, recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary as known since 1723.[1] There have been two main waves of the introduction of this suffix into English language. The first one is Yinglish words contributed by Yiddish speakers from Eastern Europe. The second surge was observed after the launch of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957.
In his book The American Language (first edition published in 1919), H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) credits the postwar mania for adding "-nik" to the ends of adjectives to create nouns as beginning, not with "beatnik"[2] or "Sputnik"[3], but earlier - in the American comic strip Li'l Abner (1934-77), by Al Capp.
Words of significant context or usage:
Casual neologisms:
Words originally used by Jews of Europe, America, and Israel, often referring to concepts related to their experiences or things happening in Israel or among the Jewish people:
Native or constructed Slavic words originating in Slavic-speaking environments: