Back-formation is either the process of creating a new lexeme (less precisely, a new "word") by removing actual or supposed affixes, or a 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 abduct probably from abduction abscess (v.) from abscessed aborigine from aborigines, mistaken for a plural noun accord (n.) from Old French acorde, acort, a back-formation from acorder accrete from accretion (root: accrescere) acculturate from acculturation addict from addicted (root: addicere) admix from admixt Adirondack Mountains from Adirondacks, mistaken for a plural noun adsorb from adsorption adolesce from adolescence adulate from adulation advect from advection advisor perhaps from advisory aerate (meaning "expose to air") probably from aeration aesthete from aesthetic aggress from aggression air-condition from air conditioning alley alliterate from alliteration allotrope from allotropy amaze from Middle English amased ambivalent from ambivalence ameliorate perhaps from amelioration in some cases annunciate perhaps from annunciation in some cases anticline from anticlinal antipode from antipodes (non-standard) appeal (n.) from Old French apel, back-formation from apeler apperceive (in modern psychological use) from apperception aristocrat from French aristocrate, a back-formation from aristocratie assent (n.) from Old French assent, a back-formation from assentir attrit from attrition auto-destruct from auto-destruction (cf. auto-destroy) automate from automation aviate from aviation avid partly from avidity awe-strike perhaps from awestruck
B babysit from babysitter back-form from back-formation bartend from bartender beg from beggar benefact from benefactor (and also the derived benefactee, cf. benefactor) berserk from berserker bibliograph from bibliography bicep from biceps (non-standard) biograph from biography bird (verb) from bird watcher blockbust from blockbuster book-keep from book-keeping 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 cavitate from cavitation chain-smoke from chain-smoker chalant from nonchalant Chess (river) from Chesham choate from inchoate choreograph from choreography chupacabra from Spanish chupacabras (both a plural and a singular in Spanish) claustrophobe from claustrophobia cohese from cohesion (disambiguation) (cf. cohere) commentate from commentator committal from non-committal complicit from complicity computerize from computerized contracept from contraception (cf. rare contraceive) contrapt from contraption convect from convection conversate from conversation or conversing cose from cosy couth from uncouth co-vary from covariation cross multiply from cross multiplication cross-refer from cross-reference curate (verb) 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 demograph from demographics 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 extradite from extradition 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 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 gladiola from gladiolus gnarl from gnarled goaltend from goaltender 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 herptile (a reptile or amphibian) from herpetology herpe (a single herpes sore) from herpes housebreak from housebroken houseclean from housecleaning housekeep from housekeeper hustle from hustler
I inadvertent from inadvertence 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
kidnap from kidnapper kudo from kudos (some commentators regard it non-standard)
L lase from laser laze from lazy legislate from legislator letch from lecher liaise from liaison loaf (meaning "to be idle") from loafer logroll from logrolling luminesce from luminescent
M manipulate from manipulation mase from maser mentee from mentor 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 nake from naked nitpick from nit-picking notate from notation
O obsess (meaning "to behave obsessively") from obsessive
obligate (as a verb meaning "oblige") from obligation one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship orate from oration orientate from orientation
P panhandle (meaning "to accost") from panhandler paramedic from paramedical partake from partaker patriation from repatriation pea from Middle English pease peddle from peddler peeve from peevish pettifog from pettifogger phosphoresce from phosphorescent pleb from plebs ply from reply preempt from preemption process from procession prodigal from prodigality proliferate from proliferation proofread from proofreader pugn from impugn
Q quadrumvir from quadrumvirate quantitate from quantitative
R raunch from raunchy recurse from recursion reminisce from reminiscence resurrect from resurrection ruly from unruly rotovate from rotovator
S sass (impudence) from sassy scavenge from scavenger 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 sightsing from sightsinging 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 statistic from statistics stave (the noun) from staves (the original singular is staff) steamroll from steamroller stridulate from stridulation suburb from suburban 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 tamale, as a singular of tamales (plural form of tamal) tase from Taser taxon from taxonomy televise from television tongue-lash from tongue-lashing transcript (verb) from transcription (cf. verb transcribe) tricep from triceps (non-standard) trickle-irrigate from trickle-irrigation (possibly backformed from verb-noun compound but may also be verb-verb compound) tweeze from tweezers typewrite from typewriter
U underwhelming as a supposed antonym of overwhelming unit from unity upholster from upholstery ush from usher
V vaccinate from vaccination vend as in vend out (meaning to contract out to a vendor), derived from vendor verse from versus vinify from vinification vint (meaning to make wine) from vintage and vintner vivisect from vivisection
W wiretap from wiretapper
References