hypocoristic

English

WOTD – 8 February 2012

Etymology

FromAncient Greekὑποκοριστικός(hupokoristikós),fromὑποκορίζομαι(hupokorízomai,“I speak in the language of children”),fromὑπό(hupó,“below”)+κορίζομαι(korízomai,“I act like a girl”),fromκόρη(kórē,“girl”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˌhaɪ.pə.kəˈɹɪs.tɪk/

• Audio(Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɪstɪk
• Hyphenation:hy‧po‧cor‧ist‧ic

Adjective

hypocoristic(comparativemorehypocoristic,superlativemosthypocoristic)(linguistics)

1. Relating to anickname,usually indicatingintimacywith the person.
2. Relating tobaby talk.

Related terms

• hypocorism
• hypocoristical
• hypocoristically
• hypocoristicon

Translations

relating to a nickname, usually indicating intimacy

• Catalan:hipocorístic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Tỏ vẻThân ái／Tỏ vẻThân ái(biǎoshì qīn'ài de),Nick name／Nick name(zh)(nìchēng de),Biểu ái／Biểu ái(biǎo'ài de)

• Dutch:hypocoristisch
• French:hypocoristique(fr)
• Galician:hipocorísticom
• German:hypokoristisch(de)
• Greek:υποκοριστικός(el)(ypokoristikós)

  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(pluralhypocoristics)

1. Anickname,especially one indicatingintimacyand formed through ashorteningof the original name.

Translations

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

• Catalan:hipocorístic
• Finnish:lempinimi(fi)
• French:hypocoristique(fr)m
• German:Hypokoristikum(de)n,Hypokoristikonn
• Greek:υποκοριστικό(el)n(ypokoristikó)
• Hungarian:becenév(hu)
• Italian:ipocoristico(it)m
• Portuguese:hipocorístico(pt)m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:хипокорѝстикm

  Roman:hipokorìstik(sh)m

• Spanish:hipocorístico(es)

See also

• endearing
• pet name
• term of endearment

• Category:English endearing terms
• Category:English childish terms

Further reading

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