Hypocoristic
[hi-pə-kə-ris-tik]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, mid-19th century
1.
A form that denotes a pet name or diminutive form of a name.
Examples of Hypocoristic in a sentence
"She found the hypocoristic to be childish."
"The father of eight came up with a hypocoristic for each child."
About Hypocoristic
This word originates from the Greek “hupokorisma,” from “hupokorizesthai,” meaning “play the child.” “Hupo” translates to “under,” and “korē” means “child.”
Did you Know?
Hypocorism, another noun formation with the same root as hypocoristic, is another word for “baby talk.” Wordsmiths of the 19th century used this linguistic term to describe the “baby talk” adults use when they speak to very young children. That usage eventually faded out of fashion and took on the current definition of a nickname or pet name.
