hypocorism
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Late Latin hypocorisma, a loan from Ancient Greek noun ὑποκόρισμα (hypokórisma) from the verb ὑποκορίζομαι (hypokorízomai, “to talk in a childish manner”). The Ancient Greek verb ὑποκορίζομαι (hypokorízomai) is compounded from ὑπό (hypo-, “under, beneath, secretly”) + κορίζομαι (korízomai, “to caress”). In the verb you can see the word κόρος (kóros, “boy”) or κόρη (kórē, “girl”).
Pronunciation [edit]
- IPA: haɪˈpɒ.kəˌrɪ.zəm
Noun [edit]
hypocorism (plural hypocorisms)
- A term of endearment; a pet name.
- 2003, Mark Steven Morton, The Lover's Tongue[1]:
- Cabbage, however, has enjoyed unlikely success as a hypocorism, a usage that dates back to the mid nineteenth century; this usage arose as a direct translation of chou, which French lovers had been calling each other for a long time: "Oh, mon petit chou"—"Oh, my little cabbage."
- 2003, Mark Steven Morton, The Lover's Tongue[1]:
- Baby-talk, e.g. bow-wow for dog, choo-choo for train.
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
a term of endearment
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hypocoristic
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