Chutzpanik

/ˌhʊtspəˈnɪk/ adjective

Definition

An alternate or variant form meaning showing chutzpah; characteristically bold or audacious in a cheeky way.

Etymology

From Yiddish 'chutzpah' with a variant adjectival suffix '-nik' (from Yiddish/-ic', which can also mean a person associated with something, as in 'beatnik' or 'peacenik').

Kelly Says

The suffix '-nik' is hilarious—it came from Yiddish 'sputnik' (via Russian), and then English used it to create 'beatnik' and 'peacenik,' showing how one borrowed suffix can hop around and create whole new words across languages!

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