Fifine
/fiːˈfiːn/noun
A French feminine nickname, especially a diminutive of Joséphine, also used as a literary or personal name.
Did you know?Robert Browning used “Fifine” as the title character’s name in his 1872 dramatic poem *Fifine at the Fair*, giving the nickname a lasting literary afterlife.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
יוֹסֵף (Yosef)
“A personal name traditionally interpreted as “he will add” or “may he increase.””
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἰωσήφ (Iōsēph)
“The Greek form of the Hebrew personal name Yosef.”
Late Latin
Latin
Iosephus
“Latin form of Joseph, transmitted through Christian and biblical naming traditions.”
Medieval French
Old French
Joséphine
“The feminine form of Joseph, formed with the French feminine suffix -ine.”
19th Century
French
Fifine
“A familiar or affectionate nickname for Joséphine.”
1872
English
Fifine
“The name used by Robert Browning in the dramatic poem *Fifine at the Fair*.”