back-formation en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌbæk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/ (Australia)
- /ˌbæk.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌbɛk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/ (New-Zealand)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌbak.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- băk′fôr-mā′shən
- /ˌbak.fɔɾˈme.ʃən/ (Scotland)
- /ˌbæk.foɹˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ (Canada, General-American)
Etymology
From back- + formation. Coined by British lexicographer and philologist, primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary James Murray in 1888.
Meanings
- (uncountable) The process by which a new word is formed from an older word by interpreting the former as a derivative of the latter, often by removing a morpheme (real or perceived) from the older word, such as the verb burgle, formed by removing -ar (perceived as an agent-noun suffix) from burglar.
-
(countable) A word created in this way.
Back-formations, such as tambour (for “play the tambourine”), are a staple of comedic wordplay.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| back formation | alternative | lexicographic | |
| backformation | alternative | lexicographic | |
| back-formations | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (36)
cy ôl-ffurfiad (linguistic process) · nb tilbakedanning (linguistic process) · nl terugvorming (linguistic process) · ro derivare regresivă (linguistic process) · hsb naspjetna deriwacija (word formed by this linguistic process) · hu elvonás (linguistic process) · vi phái sinh ngược (linguistic process) · hu szóelvonás (linguistic process) · es derivado regresivo (word formed by this linguistic process) · he גְּזִירָה לְאָחוֹר (linguistic process) · da subtraktionsdannelse (word formed by this linguistic process) · fr rétroformation (linguistic process) · sv omvänd ordbildning (linguistic process) · pt derivação regressiva (linguistic process) · ar اشْتِقَاق عَكْسِيّ (linguistic process) · el αναδρομικός σχηματισμός (linguistic process) · ja 逆成 (linguistic process) · nb tilbakedannelse (word formed by this linguistic process) · de Rückbildung (word formed by this linguistic process) · ru обра̀тное словообразова́ние (linguistic process) · it retroformazione (linguistic process) · hu elvonás (word formed by this linguistic process) · nb tilbakedannelse (linguistic process) · da subtraktionsdannelse (linguistic process) · de Rückbildung (linguistic process) · cy ôl-ffurf (word formed by this linguistic process) · pl derywat wsteczny (word formed by this linguistic process) · ar مُشْتَقَّة عَكْسِيًّا (word formed by this linguistic process) · fi takaperoisjohto (linguistic process) · hsb naspjetna deriwacija (linguistic process) · fr dérivation inverse (linguistic process) · fi takaperoisjohdos (word formed by this linguistic process) · pl derywacja wsteczna (linguistic process) · nb tilbakedanning (word formed by this linguistic process) · es derivación regresiva (linguistic process) · eo retrodeveno (linguistic process)