noun
hypocorism
Hypocorism (noun) means an affectionate name for someone, often in diminutive form; a pet name.
noun
1
An affectionate name for someone, often in diminutive form; a pet name.
"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."
— Karen Jankulak, The Cult of St Petroc in Cornwall (2000)
2
The process of making up affectionate nicknames 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."
— Karen Jankulak, The Cult of St Petroc in Cornwall (2000)
"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)."
— George Yule, Word Formation (2010)
3
Simple words used with small children, such as "woof-woof" for a dog.
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Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin hypocorisma, itself a loan from Ancient Greek ὑποκόρισμα (hupokórisma), ὑποκορισμός (hupokorismós, "pet name"), which came from ὑποκορίζεσθαι (hupokorízesthai), ὑποκορίζομαι (hupokorízomai, "to use a pet name; to act in a childish manner"), from ῠ̔πο- (hŭpo-, a prefix indicating a small degree) and κορίζομαι (korízomai, "to caress") (in turn from κόρος (kóros, "boy; youth") and κόρη (kórē, "girl; young woman")).
Synonyms
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Rhymes for hypocorism
See all rhymes for hypocorism →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of hypocorism?
"hypocorism" (noun) means an affectionate name for someone, often in diminutive form; a pet name.
What is another word for hypocorism?
Other words for "hypocorism" include sobriquet, nickname.
What are the different meanings of hypocorism?
"hypocorism" has 3 main meanings: 1. An affectionate name for someone, often in diminutive form; a pet name; 2. The process of making up affectionate nicknames or pet names; 3. Simple words used with small children, such as "woof-woof" for a dog.
