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back-formation
 

Definitions from WordNet

Noun back-formation has 1 sense
  1. back-formation - a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it
    --1 is a kind of     word

Definitions from the Web

Back-formation

Definition

  • (noun) The creation of a new word by removing an existing affix or suffix from an already existing word.

Sample Sentences

  1. After "donation" became widely used, the term "donate" emerged as a back-formation.
  2. The English word "burgle" is a back-formation from "burglar."
  3. By removing the suffix "-ize" from "apologize," the back-formation "apology" was formed.

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