Meaning of backform | Babel Free

Definitions

Forma verbal. Verb. [B2]

Examples

“Pennanen (1966: 150) also commented on the relative productiveness of British and American English in backforming new words: Although the coining of back-formations is at present⟳ mainly carried on in America on the various levels of spoken and written usage, it should be emphasized that the difference here is one of degree only.”

“Those who deny⟳ the synchronic relevance of backformation would hold⟳ that backforming x from y is simply the folk-etymological assumption that x is the derivational source of y.”

“Thus, donate [1845] was backformed from donation [c.1425] to serve⟳ as a putative base⟳ from which the latter could be derived.”

CEFR level