/ English Dictionary |
BACK-FORMATION
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
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)