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)

Credits