Hick
/hɪk/noun
A person regarded as unsophisticated, especially from a rural area.
Did you know?The word is attested in English by the late 17th century, but its exact origin is uncertain; it may be a nickname from a short form of Richard, showing how personal names can harden into social slurs.
Etymological Timeline
Late 17th Century
English
hick
“A rude or unsophisticated person; later, especially a rural one.”
17th Century
English
Hick
“Used as a familiar or pejorative nickname, likely from a short form of a personal name such as Richard.”
Middle English
English
Hicke / Hikke
“Possible nickname forms and variants in English naming practice, though the etymology remains uncertain.”
Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*rīkaz
“Ancestral root of Richard, meaning “ruler” or “powerful,” if the nickname connection is correct.”