| English Dictionary |
BACK-FORMATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does back-formation mean?
• BACK-FORMATION (noun)
The noun BACK-FORMATION has 1 sense:
1. a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it
Familiarity information: BACK-FORMATION used as a noun is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("back-formation" is a kind of...):
word (a unit of language that native speakers can identify)
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"If you put an egg, you get a chicken." (Albanian proverb)
"Stinginess demeans the value of man." (Arabic proverb)
"Heaven helps those who help themselves." (Corsican proverb)