back-formation

== English == === Alternative forms === backformation, back formation === Etymology === From back- + formation. Coined by British lexicographer and philologist, primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary James Murray in 1888. === Pronunciation === enPR: băk′fôr-mā′shən (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌbæk.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/, /ˌbak.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˌbæk.foɹˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˌbæk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˌbɛk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /ˌbak.fɔɾˈme.ʃən/ Rhymes: -eɪʃən Hyphenation: back-for‧ma‧tion === Noun === back-formation (countable and uncountable, plural back-formations) (uncountable, linguistics) 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. (countable) A word created in this way. Synonym: back-form ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === disfixation Category:Back-formations by language Category:English back-formations === References === === Further reading === “back-formation”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.