Appendix:English back-formations

An English back-formation refers to either the process of creating a new lexeme (less precisely, a new "word") by removing actual or supposed affixes, or to the neologism formed by such a process. Back-formations are shortened words created from longer words. Back-formations are different from clipping in that they often change the word class (part of speech) of the word.

Each back-formation in this list is followed by the original word from which it was back-formed.

A

 * from
 * as a mistaken singular for (correct Latin singular is aboriginal)
 * from (from Latin )
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * ("to practice archery") from
 * (weapon) from (from Latin )
 * from
 * from (cf. )
 * from
 * from

B

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (and also the derived, cf. )
 * from
 * from (non-standard)
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (which itself is a corruption of "bona fide")
 * from
 * from
 * possibly from
 * from
 * ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from
 * from
 * from

C

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from Old French
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (cf. )
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (cf. rare )
 * from
 * from
 * from or
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * (noun) from
 * (as a noun for a person) from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

D

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (possibly a backformation)
 * from

E

 * from
 * from
 * from (from Latin stem ) ,
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

F

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * ("eccentric person") from
 * ("to show off") from
 * from
 * from (a back-formation)
 * from
 * from (backformed adjective-verb compound)
 * (quality of music) from

G

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (the noun was originally "greediness", although Old English did have such a noun, grǣd, which would have led to "greed" in Modern English if it had survived, but it did not)
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

H

 * from
 * from
 * (meaning "to sell") from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

I

 * from
 * from
 * from (cf. )
 * from
 * from (possibly a backformation)
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

J

 * from
 * from

K

 * from
 * from
 * from (non-standard)

L

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * (meaning "to be idle") from
 * from
 * from

M

 * from
 * from
 * (partially) from  (adj. from Old French, misconstrued as past participle of verb)
 * from
 * (the verb, work on second job) from
 * from

N

 * from
 * from

O

 * (meaning "to behave obsessively") from
 * or from
 * from
 * from
 * from

P

 * (meaning "to accost") from
 * from
 * from
 * from Middle English
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * (nonstandard) from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

Q

 * from
 * from

R

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

S

 * (impudence) from
 * from
 * (meaning "to produce and emit") from
 * from
 * (the verb) from
 * from (cf. )
 * (adjective) from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from (also a back-formation)
 * from (backformed adjective-noun compound)
 * from and
 * from
 * from
 * (the noun) from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * (the verb) from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from
 * from

T

 * from
 * from
 * from
 * (verb) from (cf. verb )
 * from
 * from (possibly backformed from verb-noun compound but may also be verb-verb compound)
 * from
 * from

U

 * from

V

 * from
 * as in (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from
 * from
 * from

W

 * from