hypocorism
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hypocorism
- /haɪˈpɒ.kəˌɹɪ.zəm/ UK
- /hɪ-/ UK
- /haɪˈpɑ.kəˌɹɪ.zəm/ US
Rhymes with -ɪzəm
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Late Latin hypocorisma, a loan from Ancient Greek ὑποκόρισμα (hupokórisma), ὑποκορισμός (hupokorismós, “pet name”), from ὑποκορίζεσθαι (hupokorízesthai), ὑποκορίζομαι (hupokorízomai, “to use a pet name; to act in a childish manner”), from ῠ̔πο- (hŭpo-, prefix indicating a small degree) + κορίζομαι (korízomai, “to caress”) (from κόρος (kóros, “boy; youth”), κόρη (kórē, “girl; young woman”)).
noun hypocorisms · hypocorisma
-
A term of endearment, often a diminutive; a pet name.
"Mary" is informed that "Polly" is one of those "hypocorisms," or pet-names, in which our language abounds. Most are mere abbreviations, as Will, Nat, Pat, Bell, &c., taken usually from the beginning, sometimes from the end of the name.
Similar: hypocoristic, hypocoristicon, nickname, pet form, pet name, sobriquet
- The formation of terms of endearment or pet names. St Peter's cult, which dates from the earliest period in Brittany, is represented in the toponymy only in the radical form of his name, without hypocorism or mutation.
- Baby talk, such as bow-wow for dog and choo-choo for train. In European languages reduplication is often associated with hypocorism or baby talk (e.g. wee-wee, or French bonbon) but this is not the case in the Atlantic creoles and the Niger-Congo languages.
Translations
Every language
noun term of endearment
| Español | hipocorístico |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 暱稱 /昵称 nìchēng, 小名 xiǎomíng |
| Português | hipocorístico |
| Français | hypocoristique |
| Deutsch | Lallname, Kosename, Hypokoristikum, Hypokoristikon |
| Italiano | ipocoristico |
| Ελληνικά | υποκόρισμα ypokórisma, υποκοριστικό ypokoristikó |
| Română | hipocoristic |
| Русский | ласка́тельное и́мя laskátelʹnoje ímja, уменьши́тельное и́мя umenʹšítelʹnoje ímja, уменьши́тельно-ласка́тельное и́мя umenʹšítelʹno-laskátelʹnoje ímja |
noun formation of terms of endearment or pet names
| Deutsch | Hypokorismus |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | υποκορισμός ypokorismós |
Talk about this word "hypocorism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hypocorism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hypocorism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hypocorism "hypocorism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hypocorism.Cite this
@misc{hypocorism_2026,
title = {hypocorism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hypocorism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
