back-formation
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back-formation
- /ˌbæk.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ UK
- /ˌbak.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ UK
- /ˌbak.fɔɾˈme.ʃən/ Scotland
- /ˌbæk.foɹˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ Canada, US
- /ˌbæk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/ Australia
- /ˌbɛk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -eɪʃən
Where it comes from
From back- + formation. Coined by British lexicographer and philologist, primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary James Murray in 1888.
noun back-formations · backformation · 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.
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A word created in this way.
Back-formations, such as tambour (for “play the tambourine”), are a staple of comedic wordplay.
Similar: back-form
Translations
Every language
noun linguistic process
| Español | derivación regresiva |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 逆成 gyakusei |
| Português | derivação regressiva |
| Français | dérivation inverse, rétroformation |
| Deutsch | Rückbildung |
| Italiano | retroformazione |
| Ελληνικά | αναδρομικός σχηματισμός anadromikós schimatismós |
| Română | derivare regresivă |
| Русский | обра̀тное словообразова́ние obràtnoje slovoobrazovánije |
| Tiếng Việt | phái sinh ngược |
| العربية | اشْتِقَاق عَكْسِيّ ištiqāq ʕaksiyy |
| עברית | גְּזִירָה לְאָחוֹר gzira leakhor |
noun word formed by this linguistic process
| Español | derivado regresivo |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Rückbildung |
| Ελληνικά | αναδρομικός σχηματισμός anadromikós schimatismós |
| العربية | مُشْتَقَّة عَكْسِيًّا |
Talk about this word "back-formation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/back-formation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. back-formation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/back-formation "back-formation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/back-formation.Cite this
@misc{back_formation_2026,
title = {back-formation},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/back-formation},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
