List of English back-formations

A

• aborigine from aborigines
• accrete from accretion
• acculturate from acculturation
• addict from addicted
• admix from admixt
• adsorb from adsorption
• adolesce from adolescence
• adulate from adulation
• advect from advection
• aesthete from aesthetic
• aggress from aggression
• air-condition from air conditioning
• anticline from anticlinal
• antipode from antipodes
• attrit from attrition
• auto-destruct from auto-destruction
• automate from automation
• aviate from aviation

  B

• babysit from babysitter
• back-form from back-formation
• bartend from bartender
• beg from beggar
• benefact from benefactor
• bibliograph from bibliography
• bicep from biceps
• biograph from biography
• blockbust from blockbuster
• book-keep from book-keeping
• brainwash from brainwashing
• bulldoze from bulldozer
• bum possibly from bummer
• burgle from burglar
• bus from busboy
• bushwhack from bushwhacker
• buttle from butler

  C

• cadge from cadger
• caretake from caretaker
• cavitate from cavitation
• chain-smoke from chain-smoker
• Chess from Chesham
• choate from inchoate
• choreograph from choreography
• chupacabra from Spanish chupacabras
• claustrophobe from claustrophobia
• cohese from cohesion
• commentate from commentator
• committal from non-committal
• complicit from complicity
• computerize from computerized
• contracept from contraception
• 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 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
• diagnose from diagnosis
• diffract from diffraction
• dinge from dingy
• diplomat from diplomatic
• dishevel from disheveled
• donate from donation
• drear from dreary
• drowse from drowsy
• dry-clean from dry cleaning

  E

• eave from eaves
• eavesdrop from eavesdropper
• edit from editor
• electrocute from
• elocute from elocution
• emote from emotion
• enthuse from enthusiasm
• escalate from escalator
• eutrophicate from eutrophication
• evaluate from evaluation
• explicate from explicable
• extradite from extradition
• extrapose from extraposition

  F

• fine-tune from fine tuning
• flab from flabby
• flappable from unflappable
• flake from flaky
• floss from flossy
• fluoresce from fluorescence
• fragmentate from fragmentation
• free-associate from free association
• funk 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
• grid from gridiron
• grovel from groveling
• grunge from grungy
• gruntle from disgruntle

  H

• handwrite from handwriting
• hard-boil from hard-boiled
• hawk from hawker
• haze from hazy
• headhunt from headhunter
• headquarter from headquarters
• helicopt from helicopter
• herp from herpetology
• herpe from herpes
• housebreak from housebroken
• houseclean from housecleaning
• housekeep from housekeeper
• hustle from hustler

  I

• ideologue from ideology
• incent from incentive
• indice from indices
• injure from injury
• intercept from interception
• 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

  L

• lase from laser
• laze from lazy
• legislate from legislator
• letch from lecher
• liaise from liaison
• loaf from loafer
• logroll from logrolling
• luminesce from luminescent

  M

• manipulate from manipulation
• mase from maser
• mentee from mentor
• mix from mixt
• mottle from motley
• moonlight from moonlighter
• multimillion from multimillionaire

  N

• nake from naked
• nitpick from nit-picking
• notate from notation

  O

• obsess from obsessive
• obligate from obligation
• one-up or one-upman from one-upmanship
• orate from oration
• orientate from orientation

  P

• panhandle 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
• reminisce from reminiscence
• resurrect from resurrection
• ruly from unruly
• rotovate from rotovator

  S

• sass from sassy
• scavenge from scavenger
• sculpt from sculptor
• secrete from secretion
• secretive from secretiveness
• sedate from sedative
• self-destruct from self-destruction
• semantic 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
• soft-land from soft landing
• sorption from adsorption and absorption
• spectate from spectator
• stargaze from stargazer
• statistic from statistics
• stave from staves
• steamroll from steamroller
• stridulate from stridulation
• suburb from suburban
• suckle from suckling
• sulk from sulky
• summate from summation
• sunburn 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
• tase from Taser
• taxon from taxonomy
• televise from television
• tongue-lash from tongue-lashing
• transcript from transcription
• tricep from triceps
• trickle-irrigate from trickle-irrigation
• 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, derived from vendor
• vinify from vinification
• vint from vintage and vintner
• vivisect from vivisection

  W

• wiretap from wiretapper