Nazi

Nazi is derogatory word for members of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), or for supporters and adherents of National Socialism (better known as Nazism). Nazi is also commonly used to refer to anything related to Nazi Germany (Germany under the rule of the Nazi Party) or anyone who espouses views similar to those expressed by the NSDAP.

Post-World War II supporters of Nazism are often called "Neo-Nazis". Someone who supported Nazism before 1945 and who continued to adhere to Nazism even after the end of the Second World War is sometimes referred to as an "Old Nazi" (Altnazi).

Etymology

Nazi is short for Nationalsozialist ('National Socialist'), like Sozi (another German derogatory term) is short for just Sozialist ('Socialist').

Nazi had been used as a pet name for people named Ignaz (a common name among German Bohemians, Austrians, and Bavarians) years before the Nazi Party even existed, and as an insult for Austrians and Bavarians (who were perceived as backwards, unsophisticated, and reactionary by Northern Germans). This along with the fact that the Nazi Party was itself founded in Bavaria is why opponents of Nazism began using the term to refer to the NSDAP.