Why is 'Bill' short for William????

Started by Big Dangerous, Oct 12, 2017, in Life Add to Reading List

  1. Big Dangerous
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    Big Dangerous World Heavyweight Champion

    Oct 12, 2017
    it makes no sense

    I get chopping the iam off of Will but why the b???

    b isn't even in william wtf


    When did everyone decide that b would be a substitute for the W...like why would someone ever be bill instead of will? Really
     
    Mar 22, 2026
  2. Worm
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    Worm Big Perm Big Worm

    Oct 12, 2017
    How much weed did you smoke today?
     
    Mar 22, 2026
  3. Chazi
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    Oct 12, 2017
    That s--- brazy
     
    Mar 22, 2026
  4. Bourbon Ben
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    Bourbon Ben Mad pooper

    Oct 12, 2017
    cuz england is s---
     
    #4
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  5. eddie313
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    eddie313 The Funeral

    Oct 12, 2017
    Good question...there should be a thread for weird/odd questions that are hard to answer
     
    Mar 22, 2026
  6. Big Dangerous
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    Big Dangerous World Heavyweight Champion

    Oct 12, 2017
    Is this not a legit unsolved mystery tho

    Weird s---
     
    Mar 22, 2026
  7. Worm
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    Worm Big Perm Big Worm

    Oct 12, 2017
    Richard and d-ck is more strange unless there was a guy Richard who was always a d-ck...but I found this

    "In the 12th and 13th centuries everything was written by hand and Richardnicknames like Rich and Rick were common just to save time. Rhyming nicknames were also common and eventually Rick gave way to d-ck and Hick, while Rich became Hitch. d-ck, of course, is the only rhyming nickname that stuck over time"

    Also explains Will/Bill. Rap was basically created in the 12th and 13th centuries
     
    #7
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  8. Worm
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    Worm Big Perm Big Worm

    Oct 12, 2017
    . Why is Bill from William?
    There are many theories on why Bill became a nickname for William; the most obvious is that it was part of the Middle Ages trend of letter swapping. Much how d-ck is a rhyming nickname for Rick, the same is true of Bill and Will. Because hard consonants are easier to pronounce than soft ones, some believe Will morphed into Bill for phonetic reasons. Interestingly, when William III ruled over in England in the late 17th century, his subjects mockingly referred to him as "King Billy."

    http://mentalfloss.com/article/24761/origins-10-nicknames
     
    Mar 22, 2026
  9. Big Dangerous
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    Big Dangerous World Heavyweight Champion

    Oct 12, 2017
    I've never known anyone named Hick or Hitch but otherwise good summary guess this is the answer
     
    Mar 22, 2026