# back-formation

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The process by which a new word is formed from an older word by interpreting the former as a derivative of the latter, often by removing a morpheme (real or perceived) from the older word, such as the verb burgle, formed by removing -ar (perceived as an agent-noun suffix) from burglar.
2. A word created in this way.

## Etymology
Coined by Scottish lexicographer and philologist James Murray in 1889; from back- + formation.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/back-formation