A hypocorism (/haɪˈpɒkərɪzəm/ hy-POK-ər-iz-əm or /haɪpəˈkɒrɪzəm/ hy-pə-KOR-iz-əm; from Ancient Greek: ὑποκόρισμα (hypokorisma), from ὑποκορίζεσθαι (hypokorizesthai), 'to call by pet names') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person or object.[1] It can be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as Izzy for Isobel or Bob for Robert, or it can be unrelated.