List of English back formations

Updated on Oct 11, 2024

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Back-formation is either the process of creating a new lexeme (less precisely, a new "word") by removing actual or supposed affixes, or to the 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.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
References

Each back-formation in this list is followed by the original word from which it was back-formed.

A

aborigine from aborigines

accrete from accretion (root: accrescere)

acculturate from acculturation

addict from addicted (root: addicere)

admix from admixt

adsorb from adsorption

adolesce from adolescence

adulate from adulation

advect from advection

aesthete from aesthetic

aggress from aggression

air-condition from air conditioning

anticline from anticlinal

antipode from antipodes (non-standard)

attrit from attrition

auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy)

automate from automation

aviate from aviation

B

babysit from babysitter

back-form from back-formation

bartend from bartender

beg from beggar‹See TfD›

benefact from benefactor (and also the derived benefactee, cf. benefactor)

bibliograph from bibliography

bicep from biceps (non-standard)

biograph from biography

blockbust from blockbuster

book-keep from book-keeping

brainwash from brainwashing

bulldoze from bulldozer

bum possibly from bummer

burgle from burglar

bus ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from busboy

bushwhack from bushwhacker

buttle from butler

C

cadge from cadger

caretake from caretaker

cavitate from cavitation

chain-smoke from chain-smoker

cherry from Old French cerise, treated as English plural

Chess (river) from Chesham

choate from inchoate

choreograph from choreography

chupacabra from Spanish chupacabras (both a plural and a singular in Spanish)

claustrophobe from claustrophobia

cohese from [[cohesion (disambiguation)|] (cf. cohere)

commentate from commentator

committal from non-committal

complicit from complicity

computerize from computerized

contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive)

contrapt from contraption

convect from convection

conversate from conversation or conversing

cose from cosy

couth from uncouth

co-vary from covariation

cross multiply from cross multiplication

cross-refer from cross-reference

curate (verb) from curator

custom-make from custom-made

D

dapple from dappled

darkle from darkling

decadent from decadence

deconstruct from deconstruction

dedifferentiate from dedifferentiation

demarcate from demarcation

demograph from demographics

destruct from destruction

diagnose from diagnosis

diffract from diffraction

dinge from dingy

diplomat from diplomatic

dishevel from disheveled

donate from donation

drear from dreary

drowse from drowsy (possibly a backformation)

dry-clean from dry cleaning

E

eave from eaves

eavesdrop from eavesdropper

edit from editor (from Latin stem edere, to bring forth)

electrocute from electrocution

elocute from elocution

emote from emotion

enthuse from enthusiasm

escalate from escalator

eutrophicate from eutrophication

evaluate from evaluation

explicate (meaning "explain") from explicable

extradite from extradition

extrapose from extraposition

F

fine-tune from fine tuning

flab from flabby

flappable from unflappable

flake ("eccentric person") from flaky

floss ("to show off") from flossy

fluoresce from fluorescence

fragmentate from fragmentation

free-associate from free association (backformed adjective-verb compound)

funk (quality of music) from funky

G

gamble from gambler

gestate from gestation

ghostwrite from ghostwriter

gid from giddy

gladiola from gladiolus

gnarl from gnarled

goaltend from goaltender

godsend from god-sent

greed from greedy (the noun was originally "greediness")

grid from gridiron

grovel from groveling

grunge from grungy

gruntle from disgruntle

H

handwrite from handwriting

hard-boil from hard-boiled

hawk (meaning "to sell") from hawker

haze from hazy

headhunt from headhunter

headquarter from headquarters

helicopt from helicopter

herp (a reptile or amphibian) from herpetology

herpe (a single herpes sore) from herpes

housebreak from housebroken

houseclean from housecleaning

housekeep from housekeeper

hustle from hustler

I

ideologue from ideology

incent from incentive

indice from indices (cf. index)

injure from injury

intercept from interception (possibly a backformation)

interfluve from interfluvial

interlineate from interlinear

intuit from intuition

isolate from isolated

J

jell from jelly

jerry-build from jerry-built

K

kempt from unkempt

kidnap from kidnapper

kudo from kudos (some commentators regard it non-standard)

L

lase from laser

laze from lazy

legislate from legislator

letch from lecher

liaise from liaison

loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer

logroll from logrolling

luminesce from luminescent

M

manipulate from manipulation

mase from maser

mentee from mentor

mix from mixt (adj. from Old French, misconstrued as past participle of verb)

mottle from motley

moonlight (the verb, work on second job) from moonlighter

multimillion from multimillionaire

N

nake from naked

nitpick from nit-picking

notate from notation

O

obsess (meaning "to behave obsessively") from obsessive

‹See TfD›

obligate (as a verb meaning "oblige") from obligation

one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship

orate from oration

orientate from orientation

P

panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler

paramedic from paramedical

partake from partaker

patriation from repatriation

pea from Middle English pease

peddle from peddler

peeve from peevish

pettifog from pettifogger

phosphoresce from phosphorescent

pleb from plebs

ply from reply

preempt from preemption

process from procession

prodigal from prodigality

proliferate from proliferation

proofread from proofreader

pugn from impugn

Q

quadrumvir from quadrumvirate

quantitate from quantitative

R

raunch from raunchy

reminisce from reminiscence

resurrect from resurrection

ruly from unruly

rotovate from rotovator

S

sass (impudence) from sassy

scavenge from scavenger

sculpt from sculptor

secrete (meaning "to produce and emit") from secretion

secretive from secretiveness

sedate (the verb) from sedative

self-destruct from self-destruction (cf. self-destroy)

semantic (adjective) from semantics

sharecrop from sharecropper

shoplift from shoplifter

sightsing from sightsinging

sightsee from sightseeing

sipid from insipid

sleaze from sleazy

sleepwalk from sleepwalking

smarm from smarmy

sorb from sorption (also a back-formation)

soft-land from soft landing (backformed adjective-noun compound)

sorption from adsorption and absorption

spectate from spectator

stargaze from stargazer

statistic from statistics

stave (the noun) from staves

steamroll from steamroller

stridulate from stridulation

suburb from suburban

suckle from suckling

sulk from sulky

summate from summation

sunburn (the verb) from sunburned

superannuate from superannuated

surreal from surrealism

surveil from surveillance

swashbuckle from swashbuckler

swindle from swindler

syncline from synclinal

T

tamale, as a singular of tamales (plural form of tamal)

tase from Taser

taxon from taxonomy

televise from television

tongue-lash from tongue-lashing

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

typewrite from typewriter

U

unit from unity

upholster from upholstery

ush from usher

V

vaccinate from vaccination

vend as in vend out (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from vendor

vinify from vinification

vint (meaning to make wine) from vintage and vintner

vivisect from vivisection

W

wiretap from wiretapper

References

List of English back-formations Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

References