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For a list of words relating to terms of endearment, see the Terms of endearment category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary

A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person or animal for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their children and lovers addressing each other.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Usage 3 Examples 4 See also 5 References 6 General references

Etymology

Such words may not, in their original use, bear any resemblance in meaning to the meaning attached when used as a term of endearment, for example calling a spouse "pumpkin". Some words are clearly derived from each other, such as "sweetheart" and "sweetie", while others bear no etymological resemblance, such as "baby" and "cutie". "Honey" (as meli) has been documented as a term of endearment in ancient Greece.^{[citation needed]} "Baby" is first used in 1839 and "sugar" only appears as recently as 1930.^[1]

Most terms of endearment are concrete nouns that have favorable associations, either with a sweet taste or the nature of the relationship. Sometimes, abstract nouns are used, such as "sweetness", implying that the object of the speaker's affection is not only sweet, but embodies sweetness itself.

Use of terms of endearment can reveal little or nothing about the true quality of the relationship in question.

Usage

Each term of endearment has its own connotations, which are highly dependent on the situation they are used in, such as tone of voice, body language, and social context. Saying "Hey baby, you're looking good" varies greatly from the use "Baby, don't swim at the deep end of the pool!". Certain terms can be perceived as offensive or patronizing, depending on the context and speaker.^[2]

Some terms may be combined for added emphasis, e.g. honey bunny. Some combinations seem nonsensical, odd, or too long, such as baby pie or love dear, and are seldom used.

Terms of endearment are also used as a sort of "significant other identity."

Examples

See also

• Hypocoristic
• Nickname
• Diminutive
• Love
• Affection

References

General references

• Latin Terms of Endearment and of Family Relationship: A Lexicographical Study Based on Volume VI of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum; By Samuel Glenn Harrod, 1909, University of Michigan.
• A Woman's Place: Rhetoric and Readings for Composing Yourself and Your Prose by Shirley Morahan, Published by SUNY Press, 1981, ISBN 0873954882, 9780873954884.
• The Cambridge French-English Thesaurus by Marie-Noëlle Lamy, Richard Towell, Published by Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 0521425816, 9780521425810.
• Mother Tongue, Father Time: A Decade of Linguistic Revolt, Alette Olin Hill, Published by Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253338794, 9780253338792.
• The Lover's Tongue: A Merry Romp Through the Language of Love and Sex Mark Morton, Published by Insomniac Press, 2003; ISBN 1894663519, 9781894663519.