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