Hypocoristic
//ˌhaɪ.pə.kəˈɹɪs.tɪk// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A nickname, especially one indicating intimacy and formed through a shortening of the original name.
Adjective
- 1 Relating to a nickname, usually indicating intimacy with the person.
- 2 Relating to baby talk.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ὑποκοριστικός (hupokoristikós), from ὑποκορίζομαι (hupokorízomai, “to speak in the language of children”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + κορίζομαι (korízomai, “to act like a girl”), from κόρη (kórē, “girl”).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.