Backformation
Backformation is the word-formation process by which a new word is created by removing what looks like an affix from an existing word. The result reverses the usual direction of derivation: instead of suffix added to base, a perceived suffix is stripped from a complex word to yield a simpler one (Marchand 1969; Bauer 1983; Plag 2003).
The term back-formation was coined by James A. H. Murray, primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1889, in the entry for burgle. Murray defined it as the formation of a word that appears to be the base from which an existing derivative was made.
How It Works
In standard derivation, the longer form is built from the shorter: teach (V) + -er → teacher (N). In backformation, the longer form is in the language first and the shorter is invented later by reanalysis: editor (N, 1649) → edit (V, 1791). Speakers parse editor as if it were edit + -or, by analogy with genuine pairs like act / actor, paint / painter, then extract the implied verb.
The historical direction is the diagnostic. A pair like act / actor shows ordinary derivation: act is older, actor younger. A pair like edit / editor shows backformation: editor is older.
Attested Examples with Dates
| Backformed word | Source | Source date | Backformation date |
|---|---|---|---|
| edit (V) | editor (N) | 1649 | 1791 |
| burgle (V) | burglar (N) | c. 1200 | 1869 |
| televise (V) | television (N) | 1907 | 1927 |
| babysit (V) | babysitter (N) | 1937 | 1947 |
| donate (V) | donation (N) | 15th c. | 1785 |
| enthuse (V) | enthusiasm (N) | 1603 | 1827 |
| escalate (V) | escalator (N) | 1900 | 1922 |
| liaise (V) | liaison (N) | 1648 | 1928 |
| sculpt (V) | sculptor (N) | 14th c. | 1864 |
| sleepwalk (V) | sleepwalker (N) | 1747 | 1923 |
| peddle (V) | peddler (N) | 14th c. | 1532 |
Most English backformations create verbs from nouns ending in -er, -or, -ion, -ation, -y, since these suffixes are the ones speakers most readily perceive and strip.
Status of Backformed Words
Backformations enter the language with mixed reception. Some are immediately accepted (edit, donate, televise); others are long stigmatised before becoming standard (enthuse was condemned for over a century); a few never escape the informal register. Once accepted, a backformed word behaves like any other lexeme; speakers without etymological knowledge cannot distinguish edit (backformed) from act (primary).
Backformation vs Clipping vs Conversion
Backformation removes a perceived affix and may shift word class: editor (N) → edit (V). Clipping removes phonological material without category change: laboratory (N) → lab (N). Conversion changes category without removing anything: email (N) → email (V). The diagnostic for backformation: is there a perceived affix being stripped, and is the new form historically later?
Productivity
Backformation is a minor process compared to affixation or compounding. New backformations appear sporadically, often in journalism: commentate (from commentator), gruntle (jocular, from disgruntled), surveil (from surveillance). Bauer (1983) and Plag (2003) treat backformation as essentially a reanalysis-driven rather than rule-driven process; speakers do not "make backformations" deliberately, they reanalyse existing forms and produce shorter ones by analogy.
Teaching Implications
Backformation is rarely taught explicitly in ELT, but a few high-frequency backformed verbs (edit, donate, televise, babysit, escalate, liaise) appear in everyday and academic English and behave like primary verbs. Awareness of the process helps advanced learners interpret etymological notes in dictionaries and make sense of why some derivational patterns feel slightly odd. For exam preparation and academic writing, the practical takeaway is that backformed verbs are now standard; the stigma attached to enthuse or liaise in older usage guides has largely faded, but learners should check current corpus frequency before relying on novel backformations.
References
- Bauer, L. (1983). English Word-Formation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Marchand, H. (1969). The Categories and Types of Present-Day English Word-Formation (2nd ed.). Munich: Beck.
- Plag, I. (2003). Word-Formation in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Oxford English Dictionary (online). oed.com.