 |
Back-formation is either the process of creating a new lexeme (less precisely, a new "word") by removing actual or supposed affixes, or a neologism formed by such a process. Back-formations are shortened words created from longer words, thus back-formations may be viewed as a sub-type of clipping.
Each back-formation in this list is followed by the original word from which it was back-formed.
A
- abduct probably from abduction [1]
- abscess (v.) from abscessed [1]
- aborigine from aborigines, mistaken for a plural noun [1]
- accord (n.) from Old French acorde, acort, a back-formation from acorder [1]
- accrete from accretion (root: accrescere) [2]
- acculturate from acculturation [2]
- addict from addicted (root: addicere) [2][ dubious – discuss]
- admix from admixt [3]
- Adirondack Mountains from Adirondacks, mistaken for a plural noun [1]
- adsorb from adsorption [1]
- adolesce from adolescence [1]
- adulate from adulation [3]
- advect from advection [3]
- advisor perhaps from advisory [1]
- aerate (meaning "expose to air") probably from aeration [1]
- aesthete from aesthetic [2]
- aggress from aggression [4]
- air-condition from air conditioning [2]
- alley [1]
- alliterate from alliteration [1]
- allotrope from allotropy [1]
- amaze from Middle English amased [1]
- ambivalent from ambivalence [1]
- ameliorate perhaps from amelioration in some cases [1]
- annunciate perhaps from annunciation in some cases [1]
- anticline from anticlinal [5]
- antipode from antipodes (non-standard)
- appeal (n.) from Old French apel, back-formation from apeler [1]
- apperceive (in modern psychological use) from apperception [1]
- aristocrat from French aristocrate, a back-formation from aristocratie [1]
- assent (n.) from Old French assent, a back-formation from assentir
- attrit from attrition [5]
- auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy)
- automate from automation [2] [4]
- aviate from aviation [2]
- avid partly from avidity [1]
- awe-strike perhaps from awestruck [1]
B
- babysit from babysitter [2] [4]
- back-form from back-formation
- bartend from bartender [5]
- beg from beggar[ dubious – discuss]
- benefact from benefactor (and also the derived benefactee, cf. benefactor)
- bibliograph from bibliography
- bicep from biceps (non-standard) [2]
- biograph from biography
- bird (verb) from bird watcher
- blockbust from blockbuster [5]
- book-keep from book-keeping
- brainwash from brainwashing [5]
- bulldoze from bulldozer [5]
- bum possibly from bummer [5]
- burgle from burglar [5] [4]
- bus ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from busboy [5]
- bushwhack from bushwhacker [5]
- buttle from butler [5]
C
- cadge from cadger [2]
- caretake from caretaker
- cavitate from cavitation [1]
- chain-smoke from chain-smoker [4]
- chalant from nonchalant
- Chess (river) from Chesham
- choate from inchoate
- choreograph from choreography [5]
- chupacabra from Spanish chupacabras (both a plural and a singular in Spanish)
- claustrophobe from claustrophobia
- cohese from cohesion (disambiguation) (cf. cohere)
- commentate from commentator [5] [4]
- committal from non-committal
- complicit from complicity [3]
- computerize from computerized
- contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive)
- contrapt from contraption
- convect from convection [2]
- conversate from conversation or conversing [6]
- cose from cosy
- couth from uncouth [2]
- co-vary from covariation
- cross multiply from cross multiplication
- cross-refer from cross-reference [7]
- curate (verb) from curator [3]
- custom-make from custom-made
D
- dapple from dappled [5]
- darkle from darkling [2]
- decadent from decadence [2]
- deconstruct from deconstruction [5]
- dedifferentiate from dedifferentiation [5]
- demarcate from demarcation [2]
- demograph from demographics
- destruct from destruction [5]
- diagnose from diagnosis [2] [4]
- diffract from diffraction [2]
- dinge from dingy [2]
- diplomat from diplomatic [5]
- dishevel from disheveled [2]
- donate from donation [2] [4]
- drear from dreary
- drowse from drowsy (possibly a backformation)
- dry-clean from dry cleaning [5]
E
- eave from eaves [7]
- eavesdrop from eavesdropper [2]
- from editor (from Latin stem edere, to bring forth) [1] [2]
- electrocute from electrocution [2]
- elocute from elocution [7]
- emote from emotion [5] [4]
- enthuse from enthusiasm [5] [4]
- escalate from escalator [5]
- eutrophicate from eutrophication
- evaluate from evaluation [2]
- extradite from extradition [4]
- extrapose from extraposition [5]
F
- fine-tune from fine tuning [7]
- flab from flabby [2]
- flappable from unflappable [5]
- flake ("eccentric person") from flaky
- floss ("to show off") from flossy [7]
- fluoresce from fluorescence [2]
- fragmentate from fragmentation [5]
- free-associate from free association (backformed adjective-verb compound) [4]
- funk (quality of music) from funky [3]
G
- gamble from gambler [2]
- gestate from gestation [2]
- ghostwrite from ghostwriter [2]
- gid from giddy [2]
- gladiola from gladiolus [2]
- gnarl from gnarled [5]
- goaltend from goaltender
- godsend from god-sent [2]
- greed from greedy (the noun was originally "greediness") [5] [4]
- grid from gridiron [2]
- grovel from groveling [2] [4]
- grunge from grungy [2]
- gruntle from disgruntle [2]
H
- handwrite from handwriting [2]
- hard-boil from hard-boiled [2]
- hawk (meaning "to sell") from hawker [5]
- haze from hazy [2]
- headhunt from headhunter[ citation needed]
- headquarter from headquarters [5]
- helicopt from helicopter[ citation needed]
- herptile (a reptile or amphibian) from herpetology[ citation needed]
- herpe (a single herpes sore) from herpes[ citation needed]
- housebreak from housebroken [2]
- houseclean from housecleaning [2]
- housekeep from housekeeper [2]
- hustle from hustler [2]
I
- inadvertent from inadvertence [2]
- ideologue from ideology [2]
- incent from incentive [3]
- indice from indices (cf. index)
- injure from injury [5]
- intercept from interception (possibly a backformation)
- interfluve from interfluvial [5]
- interlineate from interlinear
- intuit from intuition [5] [4]
- isolate from isolated [2]
J
K
L
- lase from laser [2] [4]
- laze from lazy [2] [4]
- legislate from legislator [2] [4]
- letch from lecher [5]
- liaise from liaison [2] [4]
- loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer [5]
- logroll from logrolling [5]
- luminesce from luminescent [5]
M
- manipulate from manipulation [2] [4]
- mase from maser
- mentee from mentor
- mix from mixt (adj. from Old French, misconstrued as past participle of verb) [2]
- mottle from motley [2]
- moonlight (the verb, work on second job) from moonlighter [2]
- multimillion from multimillionaire
N
O
- obsess (meaning "to behave obsessively") from obsessive[ dubious – discuss]
- obligate (as a verb meaning "oblige") from obligation
- one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship [2] [4]
- orate from oration [2] [4]
- orientate from orientation
P
- panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler [5]
- paramedic from paramedical
- partake from partaker [2]
- patriation from repatriation
- pea from Middle English pease [8]
- peddle from peddler [2] [4]
- peeve from peevish [2] [4]
- pettifog from pettifogger [5]
- phosphoresce from phosphorescent [2]
- pleb from plebs
- ply from reply
- preempt from preemption [2]
- process from procession [8]
- prodigal from prodigality [5]
- proliferate from proliferation [2]
- proofread from proofreader [5]
- pugn from impugn[ citation needed]
Q
- quadrumvir from quadrumvirate [2]
- quantitate from quantitative
R
- raunch from raunchy [2]
- recurse from recursion
- reminisce from reminiscence [2] [4]
- resurrect from resurrection [2]
- ruly from unruly
- rotovate from rotovator
S
- sass (impudence) from sassy [5]
- scavenge from scavenger [1] [4]
- sculpt from sculptor [5]
- secrete (meaning "to produce and emit") from secretion [2]
- secretive from secretiveness [2]
- sedate (the verb) from sedative [3]
- self-destruct from self-destruction (cf. self-destroy) [3] [4]
- semantic (adjective) from semantics
- sharecrop from sharecropper [2]
- shoplift from shoplifter [2]
- sightsing from sightsinging
- sightsee from sightseeing [5]
- sipid from insipid [5]
- sleaze from sleazy [2]
- sleepwalk from sleepwalking [5]
- smarm from smarmy [2]
- sorb from sorption (also a back-formation)
- soft-land from soft landing (backformed adjective-noun compound)
- sorption from adsorption and absorption [2]
- spectate from spectator [5]
- stargaze from stargazer [2]
- statistic from statistics [4]
- stave (the noun) from staves (the original singular is staff) [2]
- steamroll from steamroller [5]
- stridulate from stridulation [2]
- suburb from suburban [2]
- suckle from suckling [2]
- sulk from sulky [2]
- summate from summation [2]
- sunburn (the verb) from sunburned [2]
- superannuate from superannuated [2]
- surreal from surrealism [5]
- surveil from surveillance [5]
- swashbuckle from swashbuckler [2]
- swindle from swindler [5]
- syncline from synclinal [5]
T
- tamale, as a singular of tamales (plural form of tamal) [5]
- tase from Taser
- taxon from taxonomy
- televise from television [5] [4]
- tongue-lash from tongue-lashing [2]
- transcript (verb) from transcription (cf. verb transcribe)
- tricep from triceps (non-standard)
- trickle-irrigate from trickle-irrigation (possibly backformed from verb-noun compound but may also be verb-verb compound)
- tweeze from tweezers [5]
- typewrite from typewriter [2] [4]
U
- underwhelming as a supposed antonym of overwhelming
- unit from unity [2]
- upholster from upholstery [2]
- ush from usher
V
- vaccinate from vaccination [5]
- vend as in vend out (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from vendor
- verse from versus [9]
- vinify from vinification [2]
- vint (meaning to make wine) from vintage and vintner [7]
- vivisect from vivisection [2]
W
- wiretap from wiretapper [5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Harper, Douglas (2001), Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 7 November 2020
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language" (4 ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company. 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Abootty, O. (December 15, 2004). Funny Side of English. Pustak Mahal. p. 29. ISBN 978-8122307993. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd "Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged" (4 ed.). Random House, Inc. 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ "Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon". Dictionary.com, LLC. 2003–2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford University Press. 2009.
- ^ a b "Webster's New World College Dictionary". YourDictionary.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ "Why Do Kids Say "Versing"?". Retrieved 2024-02-20.
|
Back-formation is either the process of creating a new lexeme (less precisely, a new "word") by removing actual or supposed affixes, or a neologism formed by such a process. Back-formations are shortened words created from longer words, thus back-formations may be viewed as a sub-type of clipping.
Each back-formation in this list is followed by the original word from which it was back-formed.
A
- abduct probably from abduction [1]
- abscess (v.) from abscessed [1]
- aborigine from aborigines, mistaken for a plural noun [1]
- accord (n.) from Old French acorde, acort, a back-formation from acorder [1]
- accrete from accretion (root: accrescere) [2]
- acculturate from acculturation [2]
- addict from addicted (root: addicere) [2][ dubious – discuss]
- admix from admixt [3]
- Adirondack Mountains from Adirondacks, mistaken for a plural noun [1]
- adsorb from adsorption [1]
- adolesce from adolescence [1]
- adulate from adulation [3]
- advect from advection [3]
- advisor perhaps from advisory [1]
- aerate (meaning "expose to air") probably from aeration [1]
- aesthete from aesthetic [2]
- aggress from aggression [4]
- air-condition from air conditioning [2]
- alley [1]
- alliterate from alliteration [1]
- allotrope from allotropy [1]
- amaze from Middle English amased [1]
- ambivalent from ambivalence [1]
- ameliorate perhaps from amelioration in some cases [1]
- annunciate perhaps from annunciation in some cases [1]
- anticline from anticlinal [5]
- antipode from antipodes (non-standard)
- appeal (n.) from Old French apel, back-formation from apeler [1]
- apperceive (in modern psychological use) from apperception [1]
- aristocrat from French aristocrate, a back-formation from aristocratie [1]
- assent (n.) from Old French assent, a back-formation from assentir
- attrit from attrition [5]
- auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy)
- automate from automation [2] [4]
- aviate from aviation [2]
- avid partly from avidity [1]
- awe-strike perhaps from awestruck [1]
B
- babysit from babysitter [2] [4]
- back-form from back-formation
- bartend from bartender [5]
- beg from beggar[ dubious – discuss]
- benefact from benefactor (and also the derived benefactee, cf. benefactor)
- bibliograph from bibliography
- bicep from biceps (non-standard) [2]
- biograph from biography
- bird (verb) from bird watcher
- blockbust from blockbuster [5]
- book-keep from book-keeping
- brainwash from brainwashing [5]
- bulldoze from bulldozer [5]
- bum possibly from bummer [5]
- burgle from burglar [5] [4]
- bus ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from busboy [5]
- bushwhack from bushwhacker [5]
- buttle from butler [5]
C
- cadge from cadger [2]
- caretake from caretaker
- cavitate from cavitation [1]
- chain-smoke from chain-smoker [4]
- chalant from nonchalant
- Chess (river) from Chesham
- choate from inchoate
- choreograph from choreography [5]
- chupacabra from Spanish chupacabras (both a plural and a singular in Spanish)
- claustrophobe from claustrophobia
- cohese from cohesion (disambiguation) (cf. cohere)
- commentate from commentator [5] [4]
- committal from non-committal
- complicit from complicity [3]
- computerize from computerized
- contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive)
- contrapt from contraption
- convect from convection [2]
- conversate from conversation or conversing [6]
- cose from cosy
- couth from uncouth [2]
- co-vary from covariation
- cross multiply from cross multiplication
- cross-refer from cross-reference [7]
- curate (verb) from curator [3]
- custom-make from custom-made
D
- dapple from dappled [5]
- darkle from darkling [2]
- decadent from decadence [2]
- deconstruct from deconstruction [5]
- dedifferentiate from dedifferentiation [5]
- demarcate from demarcation [2]
- demograph from demographics
- destruct from destruction [5]
- diagnose from diagnosis [2] [4]
- diffract from diffraction [2]
- dinge from dingy [2]
- diplomat from diplomatic [5]
- dishevel from disheveled [2]
- donate from donation [2] [4]
- drear from dreary
- drowse from drowsy (possibly a backformation)
- dry-clean from dry cleaning [5]
E
- eave from eaves [7]
- eavesdrop from eavesdropper [2]
- from editor (from Latin stem edere, to bring forth) [1] [2]
- electrocute from electrocution [2]
- elocute from elocution [7]
- emote from emotion [5] [4]
- enthuse from enthusiasm [5] [4]
- escalate from escalator [5]
- eutrophicate from eutrophication
- evaluate from evaluation [2]
- extradite from extradition [4]
- extrapose from extraposition [5]
F
- fine-tune from fine tuning [7]
- flab from flabby [2]
- flappable from unflappable [5]
- flake ("eccentric person") from flaky
- floss ("to show off") from flossy [7]
- fluoresce from fluorescence [2]
- fragmentate from fragmentation [5]
- free-associate from free association (backformed adjective-verb compound) [4]
- funk (quality of music) from funky [3]
G
- gamble from gambler [2]
- gestate from gestation [2]
- ghostwrite from ghostwriter [2]
- gid from giddy [2]
- gladiola from gladiolus [2]
- gnarl from gnarled [5]
- goaltend from goaltender
- godsend from god-sent [2]
- greed from greedy (the noun was originally "greediness") [5] [4]
- grid from gridiron [2]
- grovel from groveling [2] [4]
- grunge from grungy [2]
- gruntle from disgruntle [2]
H
- handwrite from handwriting [2]
- hard-boil from hard-boiled [2]
- hawk (meaning "to sell") from hawker [5]
- haze from hazy [2]
- headhunt from headhunter[ citation needed]
- headquarter from headquarters [5]
- helicopt from helicopter[ citation needed]
- herptile (a reptile or amphibian) from herpetology[ citation needed]
- herpe (a single herpes sore) from herpes[ citation needed]
- housebreak from housebroken [2]
- houseclean from housecleaning [2]
- housekeep from housekeeper [2]
- hustle from hustler [2]
I
- inadvertent from inadvertence [2]
- ideologue from ideology [2]
- incent from incentive [3]
- indice from indices (cf. index)
- injure from injury [5]
- intercept from interception (possibly a backformation)
- interfluve from interfluvial [5]
- interlineate from interlinear
- intuit from intuition [5] [4]
- isolate from isolated [2]
J
K
L
- lase from laser [2] [4]
- laze from lazy [2] [4]
- legislate from legislator [2] [4]
- letch from lecher [5]
- liaise from liaison [2] [4]
- loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer [5]
- logroll from logrolling [5]
- luminesce from luminescent [5]
M
- manipulate from manipulation [2] [4]
- mase from maser
- mentee from mentor
- mix from mixt (adj. from Old French, misconstrued as past participle of verb) [2]
- mottle from motley [2]
- moonlight (the verb, work on second job) from moonlighter [2]
- multimillion from multimillionaire
N
O
- obsess (meaning "to behave obsessively") from obsessive[ dubious – discuss]
- obligate (as a verb meaning "oblige") from obligation
- one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship [2] [4]
- orate from oration [2] [4]
- orientate from orientation
P
- panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler [5]
- paramedic from paramedical
- partake from partaker [2]
- patriation from repatriation
- pea from Middle English pease [8]
- peddle from peddler [2] [4]
- peeve from peevish [2] [4]
- pettifog from pettifogger [5]
- phosphoresce from phosphorescent [2]
- pleb from plebs
- ply from reply
- preempt from preemption [2]
- process from procession [8]
- prodigal from prodigality [5]
- proliferate from proliferation [2]
- proofread from proofreader [5]
- pugn from impugn[ citation needed]
Q
- quadrumvir from quadrumvirate [2]
- quantitate from quantitative
R
- raunch from raunchy [2]
- recurse from recursion
- reminisce from reminiscence [2] [4]
- resurrect from resurrection [2]
- ruly from unruly
- rotovate from rotovator
S
- sass (impudence) from sassy [5]
- scavenge from scavenger [1] [4]
- sculpt from sculptor [5]
- secrete (meaning "to produce and emit") from secretion [2]
- secretive from secretiveness [2]
- sedate (the verb) from sedative [3]
- self-destruct from self-destruction (cf. self-destroy) [3] [4]
- semantic (adjective) from semantics
- sharecrop from sharecropper [2]
- shoplift from shoplifter [2]
- sightsing from sightsinging
- sightsee from sightseeing [5]
- sipid from insipid [5]
- sleaze from sleazy [2]
- sleepwalk from sleepwalking [5]
- smarm from smarmy [2]
- sorb from sorption (also a back-formation)
- soft-land from soft landing (backformed adjective-noun compound)
- sorption from adsorption and absorption [2]
- spectate from spectator [5]
- stargaze from stargazer [2]
- statistic from statistics [4]
- stave (the noun) from staves (the original singular is staff) [2]
- steamroll from steamroller [5]
- stridulate from stridulation [2]
- suburb from suburban [2]
- suckle from suckling [2]
- sulk from sulky [2]
- summate from summation [2]
- sunburn (the verb) from sunburned [2]
- superannuate from superannuated [2]
- surreal from surrealism [5]
- surveil from surveillance [5]
- swashbuckle from swashbuckler [2]
- swindle from swindler [5]
- syncline from synclinal [5]
T
- tamale, as a singular of tamales (plural form of tamal) [5]
- tase from Taser
- taxon from taxonomy
- televise from television [5] [4]
- tongue-lash from tongue-lashing [2]
- transcript (verb) from transcription (cf. verb transcribe)
- tricep from triceps (non-standard)
- trickle-irrigate from trickle-irrigation (possibly backformed from verb-noun compound but may also be verb-verb compound)
- tweeze from tweezers [5]
- typewrite from typewriter [2] [4]
U
- underwhelming as a supposed antonym of overwhelming
- unit from unity [2]
- upholster from upholstery [2]
- ush from usher
V
- vaccinate from vaccination [5]
- vend as in vend out (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from vendor
- verse from versus [9]
- vinify from vinification [2]
- vint (meaning to make wine) from vintage and vintner [7]
- vivisect from vivisection [2]
W
- wiretap from wiretapper [5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Harper, Douglas (2001), Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 7 November 2020
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language" (4 ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company. 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Abootty, O. (December 15, 2004). Funny Side of English. Pustak Mahal. p. 29. ISBN 978-8122307993. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd "Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged" (4 ed.). Random House, Inc. 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ "Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon". Dictionary.com, LLC. 2003–2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford University Press. 2009.
- ^ a b "Webster's New World College Dictionary". YourDictionary.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ "Why Do Kids Say "Versing"?". Retrieved 2024-02-20.