backformation

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A form of back-formation — 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.

Scrabble 26
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Meanings

nounbackformation (countable and uncountable, plural backformations)

plural backformations

  1. alternativecountableuncountableAlternative spelling of back-formation.
Cite this entry
APA

backformation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backformation

MLA

“backformation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backformation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backformation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backformation.

Source: backformation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.