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 a 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

• abduct probably from abduction [1]
• abscess (v.) from abscessed[1]
• aborigine from aborigines, mistaken for a plural noun[1]
• accord (n.) from Old French acorde, acort, a back-formation from acorder[1]
• accrete from accretion (root: accrescere)[2]
• acculturate from acculturation[2]
• addict from addicted (root: addicere)[2]
• admix from admixt[3]
• Adirondack Mountains from Adirondacks, mistaken for a plural noun[1]
• adsorb from adsorption[1]
• adolesce from adolescence[1]
• adulate from adulation[3]
• advect from advection[3]
• advisor perhaps from advisory[1]
• aerate(meaning "exposed to air") probably from aeration[1]
• aesthete from aesthetic[2]
• aggress from aggression[4]
• air-condition from air conditioning[2]
• alley [1]
• alliterate from alliteration [1]
• allotrope from allotropy [1]
• amaze from Middle English amased [1]
• ambivalent from ambivalence [1]
• ameliorate perhaps from amelioration in some cases [1]
• annunciate perhaps from annunciation in some cases [1]
• anticline from anticlinal[5]
• antipode from antipodes (non-standard)
• appeal (n.) from Old French apel, back-formation from apeler[1]
• apperceive (in modern psychological use) from apperception [1]
• aristocrat from French aristocrate, a back-formation from aristocratie [1]
• assent (n.) from Old French assent, a back-formation from assentir
• attrit from attrition[5]
• auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy)
• automate from automation[2][4]
• aviate from aviation[2]
• avid partly from avidity [1]
• awe-strike perhaps from awestruck [1]

B

• babysit from babysitter[2][4]
• back-form from back-formation
• bartend from bartender[5]
• 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
• bird (verb) from bird watcher
• blockbust from blockbuster[5]
• book-keep from book-keeping
• brainwash from brainwashing[5]
• bulldoze from bulldozer[5]
• bum possibly from bummer[5]
• burgle from burglar[5][4]
• bus ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from busboy[5]
• bushwhack from bushwhacker[5]
• buttle from butler[5]

C

• cadge from cadger[2]
• caretake from caretaker
• cavitate from cavitation[1]
• chain-smoke from chain-smoker[4]
• Chess (river) from Chesham
• choate from inchoate
• choreograph from choreography[5]
• chupacabra from Spanish chupacabras (both a plural and a singular in Spanish)
• claustrophobe from claustrophobia
• cohese from cohesion (disambiguation) (cf. cohere)
• commentate from commentator[5][4]
• committal from non-committal
• complicit from complicity[3]
• computerize from computerized
• contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive)
• contrapt from contraption
• convect from convection[2]
• conversate from conversation or conversing[6]
• cose from cosy
• couth from uncouth[2]
• co-vary from covariation
• cross multiply from cross multiplication
• cross-refer from cross-reference[7]
• curate (verb) from curator[3]
• custom-make from custom-made

D

• dapple from dappled[5]
• darkle from darkling[2]
• decadent from decadence[2]
• deconstruct from deconstruction[5]
• dedifferentiate from dedifferentiation[5]
• demarcate from demarcation[2]
• demograph from demographics
• destruct from destruction[5]
• diagnose from diagnosis[2][4]
• diffract from diffraction[2]
• dinge from dingy[2]
• diplomat from diplomatic[5]
• dishevel from disheveled[2]
• donate from donation[2][4]
• drear from dreary
• drowse from drowsy (possibly a backformation)
• dry-clean from dry cleaning[5]

E

• eave from eaves[7]
• eavesdrop from eavesdropper[2]
• edit from editor (from Latin stem edere, to bring forth)[1][2]
• electrocute from electrocution[2]
• elocute from elocution[7]
• emote from emotion[5][4]
• enthuse from enthusiasm[5][4]
• escalate from escalator[5]
• eutrophicate from eutrophication
• evaluate from evaluation[2]
• explicate (meaning "explain") from explicable
• extradite from extradition[4]
• extrapose from extraposition[5]

F

• fine-tune from fine tuning[7]
• flab from flabby[2]
• flappable from unflappable[5]
• flake ("eccentric person") from flaky
• floss ("to show off") from flossy[7]
• fluoresce from fluorescence[2]
• fragmentate from fragmentation[5]
• free-associate from free association (backformed adjective-verb compound)[4]
• funk (quality of music) from funky[3]

G

• gamble from gambler[2]
• gestate from gestation[2]
• ghostwrite from ghostwriter[2]
• gid from giddy[2]
• gladiola from gladiolus[2]
• gnarl from gnarled[5]
• goaltend from goaltender
• godsend from god-sent[2]
• greed from greedy (the noun was originally "greediness")[5][4]
• grid from gridiron[2]
• grovel from groveling[2][4]
• 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[5]
• haze from hazy[2]
• headhunt from headhunter
• headquarter from headquarters[5]
• helicopt from helicopter
• herp (a reptile or amphibian) from herpetology
• herpe (a single herpes sore) from herpes
• housebreak from housebroken[2]
• houseclean from housecleaning[2]
• housekeep from housekeeper[2]
• hustle from hustler[2]

I

• ideologue from ideology[2]
• incent from incentive[3]
• indice from indices (cf. index)
• injure from injury[5]
• intercept from interception (possibly a backformation)
• interfluve from interfluvial[5]
• interlineate from interlinear
• intuit from intuition[5][4]
• isolate from isolated[2]

J

• jell from jelly[2][4]
• jerry-build from jerry-built[2]

K

• kidnap from kidnapper[2]
• kudo from kudos (some commentators regard it non-standard)[2][4]

L

• lase from laser[2][4]
• laze from lazy[2][4]
• legislate from legislator[2][4]
• letch from lecher[5]
• liaise from liaison[2][4]
• loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer[5]
• logroll from logrolling[5]
• luminesce from luminescent[5]

M

• manipulate from manipulation[2][4]
• 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][4]
• orate from oration[2][4]
• orientate from orientation

P

• panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler[5]
• paramedic from paramedical
• partake from partaker[2]
• patriation from repatriation
• pea from Middle English pease[8]
• peddle from peddler[2][4]
• peeve from peevish[2][4]
• pettifog from pettifogger[5]
• phosphoresce from phosphorescent[2]
• pleb from plebs
• ply from reply
• preempt from preemption[2]
• process from procession[8]
• prodigal from prodigality[5]
• proliferate from proliferation[2]
• proofread from proofreader[5]
• pugn from impugn

Q

• quadrumvir from quadrumvirate[2]
• quantitate from quantitative

R

• raunch from raunchy[2]
• reminisce from reminiscence[2][4]
• resurrect from resurrection[2]
• ruly from unruly
• rotovate from rotovator

S

• sass (impudence) from sassy[5]
• scavenge from scavenger[1][4]
• sculpt from sculptor[5]
• 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][4]
• semantic (adjective) from semantics
• sharecrop from sharecropper[2]
• shoplift from shoplifter[2]
• sightsing from sightsinging
• sightsee from sightseeing[5]
• sipid from insipid[5]
• sleaze from sleazy[2]
• sleepwalk from sleepwalking[5]
• 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[5]
• stargaze from stargazer[2]
• statistic from statistics[4]
• stave (the noun) from staves (the original singular is staff)[2]
• steamroll from steamroller[5]
• stridulate from stridulation[2]
• suburb from suburban [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[5]
• surveil from surveillance[5]
• swashbuckle from swashbuckler[2]
• swindle from swindler[5]
• syncline from synclinal[5]

T

• tamale, as a singular of tamales (plural form of tamal)[5]
• tase from Taser
• taxon from taxonomy
• televise from television[5][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[5]
• typewrite from typewriter[2][4]

U

• underwhelming as a supposed antonym of overwhelming
• unit from unity[2]
• upholster from upholstery[2]
• ush from usher

V

• vaccinate from vaccination[5]
• vend as in vend out (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from vendor
• vinify from vinification[2]
• vint (meaning to make wine) from vintage and vintner[7]
• vivisect from vivisection[2]

W

• wiretap from wiretapper[5]

References

1. Harper, Douglas (2001), Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 7 November 2020
2. "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
3. "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language" (4 ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company. 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
4. Abootty, O. (December 15, 2004). Funny Side of English. Pustak Mahal. p. 29. ISBN 978-8122307993. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
5. "Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged" (4 ed.). Random House, Inc. 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
6. "Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon". Dictionary.com, LLC. 2003–2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
7. "Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford University Press. 2009.
8. "Webster's New World College Dictionary". YourDictionary.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.