Beatnik
WordNet

noun


(1)   A member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
WiktionaryText

Etymology


Coined by San Francisco columnist Herb Caen in 1958. From (generation) + cutesy or ironic use of the Slavic suffix (Russian: -ик). This suffix experienced a surge in English coinages for nicknames and diminutives after the 1957 Russian launch of the Sputnik spacecraft. Compare .

Noun



  1. A person associated with the Beat Generation of the 1950s and 1960s or its style.

See also

  • Baghdad by the Bay (also coined by Herb Caen)
  • hepcat
  • hippie, hippy
  • jazznik
 
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