hypocorism

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A term of endearment, often a diminutive

   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.
   • For the flattering hypocorisms of lovers and parents see Plut. de Leg. Poet. p. 44; [...]
   • The addition of diminutive or familiar prefixes and suffixes to the name of a saint to produce a 'pet name' or hypocorism, is common in the Celtic areas and would at times seem to produce extra saints from doublets of existing names.
2. 2

   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.
   • An acronym that never seems to have had capital letters comes from "young urban professional", plus the -ie suffix, as in hypocorism, to produce the word yuppie (first recorded in 1984).
3. 3

   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.

The neighborhood

• neighborhypocoristic
• neighborhypocoristical
• neighborhypocoristically