Term of endearment

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.

Examples

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". The first evidence of the current connotation for terms of endearment varies. "Baby" is first used in 1839 and "sugar" only appears as recently as 1930. [ [http://www.etymonline.com/ Online Etymology Dictionary ] ]

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

Some are very restricted in their use, such as "hubby", which is only used by a woman addressing her husband, while others can be applied in a variety of contexts, such as "baby", as shown in the following paragraph.

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!".

Some terms may be combined for added emphasis, e.g. "honey bunny", and convey a sense of greater affection. The longer the string of terms, the greater the sense of affection is conveyed. Some terms are used only in combinations with others and can not stand alone. For example, "cutie pie" as simply "pie", or "sugar plum" as simply "plum", are not considered terms of endearment, however, they may come to have that meaning through use, in that the part stands for the whole. Some combinations seem nonsensical, odd, or too long, such as "baby pie" or "cupcake pumpkin", and are seldom used.

ee also

*Hypocoristic
*Nickname
*Diminutive
*Love
*Affection

References