English

Noun

hypocorism ‎(plural hypocorisms)

1. A term of endearment; a pet name.
   • 2003, Mark Steven Morton, The Lover's Tongue:

     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."

2. Baby-talk, e.g. bow-wow for dog, choo-choo for train.

Synonyms

• nickname
• pet name
• sobriquet

Derived terms

• hypocoristic
• hypocoristical
• hypocoristically

Translations