jerry-build

List of English back-formations

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, thus back-formations may be viewed as a sub-type of clipping.

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

A

ablute from ablution
aborigine as a mistaken singular for aborigines (correct Latin singular is aboriginal)
accrete from accretion (root: accrescere)
acculturate from acculturation
admix from admixture
adsorb from adsorption
adolesce from adolescence
adulate from adulation
advect from advection
aesthete from aesthetic
air-condition from air conditioning
alm from alms
anticline from anticlinal
arch ("to practice archery") from archery
arm (weapon) from arms (from Latin arma)
attrit from attrition
auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy)
automate from automation
aviate from aviation

B

babysit from babysitter
back-form from back-formation
bartend from bartender
benefact from benefactor (and also the derived benefactee, cf. benefactor)
bibliograph from bibliography
bicep from biceps (non-standard)
biograph from biography
blockbust from blockbuster
book-keep from book-keeping
bonafy from bonafied (which itself is a corruption of "bona fide")
brainwash from brainwashing
bulldoze from bulldozer
bum possibly from bummer
burgle from burglar
bus ("to clear dirty dishes from table") from busboy
bushwhack from bushwhacker
buttle from butler

C

cadge from cadger
caretake from caretaker
chemist from alchemist
cavitate from cavitation
cherry from Old French cerise
choate from inchoate
choreograph from choreography
claustrophobe from claustrophobia
cohese from cohesion (cf. cohere)
commentate from commentator
committal from non-committal
complicit from complicity
computerize from computerized
congratulation from congratulations
contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive)
contrapt from contraption
convect from convection
conversate from conversation or conversing {http://www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/conversate
cose from cosy
couth from uncouth
co-vary from covariation
crank (noun) from cranky
creep (as a noun for a person) from creepy
cross multiply from cross multiplication
cross-refer from cross-reference
curate from curator
custom-make from custom-made

D

dapple from dappled
darkle from darkling
decadent from decadence
deconstruct from deconstruction
dedifferentiate from dedifferentiation
demarcate from demarcation
destruct from destruction
diagnose from diagnosis
diffract from diffraction
dinge from dingy
diplomat from diplomatic
dishevel from disheveled
donate from donation
drear from dreary
drowse from drowsy (possibly a backformation)
dry-clean from dry cleaning

E

eave from eaves
eavesdrop from eavesdropper
edit from editor (from Latin stem edere, to bring forth) ,
electrocute from electrocution
elocute from elocution
emote from emotion
enthuse from enthusiasm
escalate from escalator
eutrophicate from eutrophication
evaluate from evaluation
extrapose from extraposition

F

fine-tune from fine tuning
flab from flabby
flappable from unflappable
flake ("eccentric person") from flaky
floss ("to show off") from flossy
fluoresce from fluorescence
forward-form from forward-formation (a back-formation)
fragmentate from fragmentation
free-associate from free association (backformed adjective-verb compound)
funk (quality of music) from funky

G

gamble from gambler
gestate from gestation
ghostwrite from ghostwriter
gid from giddy
gnarl from gnarled
godsend from god-sent
greed from greedy (the noun was originally "greediness")
grid from gridiron
grovel from groveling
grunge from grungy
gruntle from disgruntle

H

handwrite from handwriting
hard-boil from hard-boiled
hawk (meaning "to sell") from hawker
haze from hazy
headhunt from headhunter
headquarter from headquarters
helicopt from helicopter
housebreak from housebroken
houseclean from housecleaning
housekeep from housekeeper

I

ideologue from ideology
incent from incentive
indice from indices (cf. index)
injure from injury
intercept from interception (possibly a backformation)
interfluve from interfluvial
interlineate from interlinear
intuit from intuition
isolate from isolated

J

jell from jelly
jerry-build from jerry-built

K

kempt from unkempt
kidnap from kidnapper
kudo from kudos (non-standard)

L

lase from laser
laze from lazy
lech from lecher
legislate from legislator
liaise from liaison
loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer
logroll from logrolling
luminesce from luminescent

M

manipulate from manipulation
mase from maser
mix from mixt (adj. from Old French, misconstrued as past participle of verb)
mottle from motley
moonlight (the verb, work on second job) from moonlighter
multimillion from multimillionaire

N

nitpick from nit-picking
notate from notation

O

obsess (meaning "to behave obsessively") from obsessive
one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship
opine from opinion
orate from oration
orientate from orientation

P

panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler
paramedic from paramedical
partake from partaker
pea from Middle English pease
peddle from peddler
peeve from peevish
pettifog from pettifogger
phosphoresce from phosphorescent
preempt from preemption
presentate from presentation
procéss from procession
prodigal from prodigality
proliferate from proliferation
proofread from proofreader

Q

quadrumvir from quadrumvirate
quantitate from quantitative

R

raunch from raunchy
reminisce from reminiscence
resurrect from resurrection
rotovate from rotovator

S

sass (impudence) from sassy
sculpt from sculptor
secrete (meaning "to produce and emit") from secretion
secretive from secretiveness
sedate (the verb) from sedative
self-destruct from self-destruction (cf. self-destroy)
semantic (adjective) from semantics
sharecrop from sharecropper
shoplift from shoplifter
sightsee from sightseeing
sipid from insipid
sleaze from sleazy
sleepwalk from sleepwalking
smarm from smarmy
sorb from sorption (also a back-formation)
soft-land from soft landing (backformed adjective-noun compound)
sorption from adsorption and absorption
spectate from spectator
stargaze from stargazer
stave (the noun) from staves
steamroll from steamroller
stridulate from stridulation
suckle from suckling
sulk from sulky
summate from summation
sunburn (the verb) from sunburned
superannuate from superannuated
surreal from surrealism
surveil from surveillance
swashbuckle from swashbuckler
swindle from swindler
syncline from synclinal

T

tase from Taser
televise from television
tongue-lash from tongue-lashing
transcript (verb) from transcription (cf. verb transcribe)
tricep from triceps
trickle-irrigate from trickle-irrigation (possibly backformed from verb-noun compound but may also be verb-verb compound)
tweeze from tweezers
typewrite from typewriter