List of English back-formations

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.

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

Contents:

Top · 0–9 · 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

A

aborigine as a mistaken singular for aborigines (correct Latin singular is aboriginal)^[1]
accrete from accretion (root: accrescere)^[2]
acculturate from acculturation^[2]
admix from admixt^[3]
admixture from admix^[1]
adsorb from adsorption^[1]
adolesce from adolescence^[1]
adulate from adulation^[3]
advect from advection^[3]
aesthete from aesthetic^[2]
air-condition from air conditioning^[2]
anticline from anticlinal^[4]
attrit from attrition^[4]
auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy)
automate from automation^[2]
aviate from aviation^[2]

B

babysit from babysitter^[2]
back-form from back-formation
bartend from bartender^[4]
beg from beggar
benefact from benefactor (and also the derived benefactee, cf. benefactor)
bibliograph from bibliography
bicep from biceps (non-standard)^[2]
biograph from biography
blockbust from blockbuster^[4]
book-keep from book-keeping
brainwash from brainwashing^[4]
bulldoze from bulldozer^[4]
bum possibly from bummer^[4]
burgle from burglar^[4]
bus ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from busboy^[4]
bushwhack from bushwhacker^[4]
buttle from butler^[4]

C

cadge from cadger^[2]
caretake from caretaker
cavitate from cavitation^[1]
cherry from Old French cerise, treated as English plural^[4]
Chess (river) from Chesham
choate from inchoate
choreograph from choreography^[4]
claustrophobe from claustrophobia
cohese from cohesion (cf. cohere)
commentate from commentator^[4]
committal from non-committal
complicit from complicity^[3]
computerize from computerized
congratulation from congratulations
contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive)
contrapt from contraption
convect from convection^[2]
conversate from conversation or conversing^[5]
cose from cosy
couth from uncouth^[2]
co-vary from covariation
cross multiply from cross multiplication
cross-refer from cross-reference^[6]
curate from curator^[3]
custom-make from custom-made

D

dapple from dappled^[4]
darkle from darkling^[2]
decadent from decadence^[2]
deconstruct from deconstruction^[4]
dedifferentiate from dedifferentiation^[4]
demarcate from demarcation^[2]
demograph from demographics
destruct from destruction^[4]
diagnose from diagnosis^[2]
diffract from diffraction^[2]
dinge from dingy^[2]
diplomat from diplomatic^[4]
dishevel from disheveled^[2]
donate from donation^[2]
drear from dreary
drowse from drowsy (possibly a backformation)
dry-clean from dry cleaning^[4]

E

eave from eaves^[6]
eavesdrop from eavesdropper^[2]
edit from editor (from Latin stem edere, to bring forth)^[1]^[2]
electrocute from electrocution^[2]
elocute from elocution^[6]
emote from emotion^[4]
employee from employer^[4]
enthuse from enthusiasm^[4]
escalate from escalator^[4]
eutrophicate from eutrophication
evaluate from evaluation^[2]
explicate (meaning "explain") from explicable
extrapose from extraposition^[4]

F

fine-tune from fine tuning^[6]
flab from flabby^[2]
flappable from unflappable^[4]
flake ("eccentric person") from flaky
floss ("to show off") from flossy^[6]
fluoresce from fluorescence^[2]
fragmentate from fragmentation^[4]
free-associate from free association (backformed adjective-verb compound)
funk (quality of music) from funky^[3]

G

gamble from gambler^[2]
gestate from gestation^[2]
ghostwrite from ghostwriter^[2]
gid from giddy^[2]
gnarl from gnarled^[4]
godsend from god-sent^[2]
greed from greedy (the noun was originally "greediness")^[4]
grid from gridiron^[2]
grovel from groveling^[2]
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^[4]
haze from hazy^[2]
headhunt from headhunter
headquarter from headquarters^[4]
helicopt from helicopter
housebreak from housebroken^[2]
houseclean from housecleaning^[2]
housekeep from housekeeper^[2]

I

ideologue from ideology^[2]
incent from incentive^[3]
indice from indices (cf. index)
injure from injury^[4]
intercept from interception (possibly a backformation)
interfluve from interfluvial^[4]
interlineate from interlinear
intuit from intuition^[4]
isolate from isolated^[2]

J

jell from jelly^[2]
jerry-build from jerry-built^[2]

K

kempt from unkempt^[2]
kidnap from kidnapper^[2]
kudo from kudos (non-standard)^[2]

L

lase from laser^[2]
laze from lazy^[2]
legislate from legislator^[2]
letch from lecher^[4]
liaise from liaison^[2]
loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer^[4]
logroll from logrolling^[4]
luminesce from luminescent^[4]

M

manipulate from manipulation^[2]
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

nake from naked^[2]
nitpick from nit-picking^[2]
notate from notation^[2]

O

obsess (meaning "to behave obsessively") from obsessive

obligate (as a verb meaning "oblige") from obligation
one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship^[2]
opine from opinion^[1]
orate from oration^[2]
orientate from orientation

P

panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler^[4]
paramedic from paramedical
partake from partaker^[2]
pea from Middle English pease^[7]
peddle from peddler^[2]
peeve from peevish^[2]
pettifog from pettifogger^[4]
phosphoresce from phosphorescent^[2]
pleb from plebs
ply from reply
preempt from preemption^[2]
process from procession^[7]
prodigal from prodigality^[4]
proliferate from proliferation^[2]
proofread from proofreader^[4]

Q

quadrumvir from quadrumvirate^[2]
quantitate from quantitative

R

raunch from raunchy^[2]
reminisce from reminiscence^[2]
resurrect from resurrection^[2]
rotovate from rotovator

S

sass (impudence) from sassy^[4]
sculpt from sculptor^[4]
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]
semantic (adjective) from semantics
sharecrop from sharecropper^[2]
shoplift from shoplifter^[2]
sightsee from sightseeing^[4]
sipid from insipid^[4]
sleaze from sleazy^[2]
sleepwalk from sleepwalking^[4]
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^[4]
stargaze from stargazer^[2]
stave (the noun) from staves^[2]
steamroll from steamroller^[4]
stridulate from stridulation^[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^[4]
surveil from surveillance^[4]
swashbuckle from swashbuckler^[2]
swindle from swindler^[4]
syncline from synclinal^[4]

T

tase from Taser
televise from television^[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^[4]
typewrite from typewriter^[2]

U

unit from unity^[2]
upholster from upholstery^[2]

V

vaccinate from vaccination^[4]
vend as in vend out (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from vendor
vinify from vinification^[2]
vivisect from vivisection^[2]

W

wiretap from wiretapper^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Harper, Douglas (2001), Online Etymology Dictionary, http://www.etymonline.com, 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 ^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 "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". 2009. http://www.merriam-webster.com. 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. http://dictionary.reference.com. 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 ^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 "Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged" (4 ed.). Random House, Inc.. 2009. http://dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
^ "Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon". Dictionary.com, LLC. 2003-2009. http://www.dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford University Press. 2009. http://oed.com.
^ ^a ^b "Webster's New World College Dictionary". YourDictionary.com. http://www.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.