*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Nancy

Medieval diminutive of Ann and Agnes. Compare Betsy, Patsy.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative letter-case form of nancy.

name

A female given name.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Medieval diminutive of Ann and Agnes. Compare Betsy, Patsy.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Ann",
      "Ann#English"
    ],
    [
      "Agnes",
      "Agnes#English"
    ],
    [
      "Betsy",
      "Betsy#English"
    ],
    [
      "Patsy",
      "Patsy#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of nancy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of"
      ],
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    },
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        "A female given name."
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A city in Meurthe-et-Moselle department, Grand Est, north-eastern France.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French Nancy, from Medieval Latin Nanciacum, from Old High German Nanzig.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionNancyfr
  • Derivation mentionNanziggoh
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Nancy"
      },
      "expansion": "French Nancy"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "Nanciacum"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin Nanciacum"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "goh",
        "3": "Nanzig"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German Nanzig"
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+, France"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Nancy",
      "Nancy#French"
    ],
    [
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      "Nanciacum#Latin"
    ],
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      "Nanzig#Old_High_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A city in Meurthe-et-Moselle department, Grand Est, north-eastern France."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Nancy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TmFuY3k