Gothamite

/ˈɡɑːθəmaɪt/ noun

Definition

A person who lives in or is from Gotham, especially a resident of New York City, which was sometimes called Gotham in 19th-century literature.

Etymology

From Gotham, a legendary village of fools in medieval English folklore (appearing in works like 'Mery Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham'), combined with the suffix '-ite' meaning resident or citizen. Washington Irving popularized 'Gotham' as a nickname for New York City in early 1800s.

Kelly Says

Washington Irving pulled this name from centuries-old English folklore about a village of intentional idiots, then stuck it on New York City as a playful insult—and the name stuck so well that Batman eventually made 'Gotham' mean cool and mysterious instead of foolish.

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