What’s a nazi?

Nazi (also the cognates nazism and neo-nazism) is a political epithet invented by Konrad Heiden (7 August 1901 – 18 June 1966) during the 1920s as a means of denigrating the NSDAP and National Socialism. Heiden was a journalist and member of the Social Democratic Party (communist) of Germany, whose mother was a Jewess. The word itself derives from the German word for National Socialism: “Nationalsozialismus“. It was coined for its negative sound and connection, as the word “sozi“ had previously been used to refer to Marxists in Germany, particularly those of the Social Democratic Party of Germany - “Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands“. It is also a political pun similar to an Austro-Bavarian word for “simpleton“. It was then popularised abroad by various individuals, including Heiden himself, who fled the country after the NSDAP gained power.