This week's theme
Words about words

This week's words
shibboleth
hypocorism
polysemous
lapsus linguae
paregmenon

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(hy-POK-uh-riz-uhm, hi-)

MEANING:

noun
1. A pet name.
2. The practice of using pet names.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek hypokorisma (pet name), from hypo- (under) + kor- (child). Ultimately from Indo-European root ker- (to grow), which is also the source of other words such as increase, recruit, crew, crescent, cereal, concrete, crescendo, sincere, and Spanish crecer (to grow). Earliest documented use: 1850.

USAGE:

"This must be an offshoot of my brother's enthusiasm for hypocorism. He was always inventing idiotic nicknames for people."
Adam Davies; Goodbye Lemon; Riverhead; 2006.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: