formans

plural formantia

1. human sciencesSynonym of formative (“language unit, typically a morph, that has a morphological function”).

   In Cowgill’s […] convincing opinion the basic formans of this PIE mediopassive was an -o(-) originally added to endings identical with those of the perfect (minus -e where applicable;[…]), which only had a single set of endings undifferentiated as to active/middle in PIE.

   2006, Kim McCone, The Origins and Development of the Insular Celtic Verbal Complex, page 136

   2 more examples

   These facts then clearly evidence such elements as enclitical particles which exercise certain morphological and/or syntactical functions, but which have not yet developed into actual suffixes obliged to conform to sound-harmony and the general accentuation pattern. Some elements of this type are the formantia of the cas. compar. in -däg, and the cas. aequat. (prosecut., mensurat., terminat.) in -ča/-čä in the nominal category, and the formans of the negative aspect in -ma-/-mä- in the verbal category.

   1968, Karl H. Menges, The Turkic Languages and Peoples, page 157

   After the selection of an onomasiological base and an onomasiological mark on the semantic level of the word-formation process, the speaker selects a word-formation base and a formans from an inventory of productive word-formation categories, classes, and subtypes on the formal level.

   2011, Joachim Grzega, “Compounding from an Onomasiological Perspective” (chapter 11), in The Oxford Handbook of Compounding, page 221

   Synonyms: formative

1. A small river in eastern France.