back-form

noun

A back-formation; a word formed by removing a perceived morpheme from an older word.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounback-form (plural back-forms)

plural back-forms · alternative backform

  1. A back-formation; a word formed by removing a perceived morpheme from an older word.
verbback-form (third-person singular simple present back-forms, present participle back-forming, simple past and past participle back-formed)

present singular third person back-forms · participle present back-forming · participle past back-formed · past back-formed · alternative backform

  1. transitiveTo form a word by a back-formation process.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
back-formation

Origin

A back-formation from back-formation. By surface analysis, back- + form.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

back-form. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back-form

MLA

“back-form.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back-form. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “back-form,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back-form.

Source: back-form on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.