hypocoristic

English

WOTD – 8 February 2012

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὑποκοριστικός (hupokoristikós), from ὑποκορίζομαι (hupokorízomai, “I speak in the language of children”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + κορίζομαι (korízomai, “I act like a girl”), from κόρη (kórē, “girl”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌhaɪpəkəˈɹɪstɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪstɪk

Adjective

hypocoristic (comparative more hypocoristic, superlative most hypocoristic)

1. Relating to a nickname, usually indicating intimacy with the person.

   English surnames which end in -oe usually began as nicknames, since -oe is a Middle English hypocoristic suffix.

2. Relating to baby talk.

Related terms

• hypocorism
• hypocoristical
• hypocoristically

 

Translations

relating to a nickname, usually indicating intimacy

• Catalan: hipocorístic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 表示親愛的／表示亲爱的 (biǎoshì qīn'ài de), 暱稱的／昵称的 (zh) (nìchēng de), 表愛的／表爱的 (biǎo'ài de)

• Dutch: hypocoristisch
• French: hypocoristique (fr)
• Galician: hipocorístico m
• German: hypokoristisch
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὑποκοριστικός (hupokoristikós)

• Hungarian: becéző (hu), bece-, becenévi, kicsinyítő (hu), hipokorisztikus
• Kannada: ಮುದ್ದುಹೆಸರಿನಂಥ (mudduhesarinantha)
• Portuguese: hipocorístico (pt)
• Russian: гипокористи́ческий (ru) (gipokoristíčeskij), ласка́тельный (ru) (laskátelʹnyj), уменьши́тельный (ru) (umenʹšítelʹnyj), уменьши́тельно-ласка́тельный (ru) (umenʹšítelʹno-laskátelʹnyj)
• Spanish: hipocorístico (es)
• Ukrainian: пестли́вий (uk) (pestlývyj), зме́ншувально-пестли́вий (zménšuvalʹno-pestlývyj)
• Yiddish: היפּאָקאָריסטיק (hipokoristik)

Noun

hypocoristic (plural hypocoristics)

1. A nickname, especially one indicating intimacy and formed through a shortening of the original name.

Translations

nickname, especially one indicating intimacy and formed through shortening of the original name

• Catalan: hipocorístic
• Finnish: lempinimi (fi)
• Hungarian: becenév (hu)
• Italian: ipocoristico (it) m
• Portuguese: hipocorístico (pt) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: хипокорѝстик m

  Roman: hipokorìstik (sh) m

• Spanish: hipocorístico (es)

See also

• endearing, term of endearment
• Category:English endearing terms
• Category:English childish terms

Further reading

• “hypocoristic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “hypocoristic”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “hypocoristic”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.