Remember that episode of âSeinfeldâ where Jerry and Sheila (Jerryâs girlfriend for one episode) call each other âschmoopieâ? This schmaltzy, saccharine show of cutesy nicknaming made the rest of the gang sick. Most people remember this episode for the âSoup Naziâ yelling âNo soup for you!â I, however, canât get the baby talk nicknames out of my mind. Did you know thereâs a term for these pet names? Itâs called âhypocorism.â We get the term from the Greek word âhypokorizesthai,â which means âto call by pet names.â In general, the term applies to whenever adults talk like babies, create diminutive nicknames for other words or names, or use another fond term to replace someoneâs name.