Dear Faldage: your AHD citation had an interesting word that has been mentioned before
a couple times, but never defined: hypocorism, hypocoristic

ypocoristic
adj.
< Gr hypokoristikos < hypokorizesthai, to call by endearing names < hypo3 (see HYPO3) + korizesthai, to pet < korc, girl < IE base *aer3, to grow > CEREAL6 of or being a pet name or a diminutive or term of endearment
hypocorism
n.