noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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băk′fôr-mā′shən
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌbæk.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌbak.fɔːˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/ˌbæk.foɹˈmeɪ̯.ʃən/
Australian:/ˌbæk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/
New-Zealand:/ˌbɛk.foːˈmæɪ̯.ʃən/
Scotland:/ˌbak.fɔɾˈme.ʃən/
rhymes with -eɪʃən
1
noun
Meaning 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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A word created in this way.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
Back-formations, such as tambour (for “play the tambourine”), are a staple of comedic wordplay.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: back-form
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: word
History
Etymology
From back- + formation. Coined by British lexicographer and philologist, primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary James Murray in 1888.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
اشْتِقَاق عَكْسِيّ
(ištiqāq ʕaksiyy)
— linguistic process
Danish:
subtraktionsdannelse
— linguistic process
Dutch:
terugvorming
— linguistic process
Esperanto:
retrodeveno
— linguistic process
Finnish:
takaperoisjohto
— linguistic process
French:
dérivation inverse
— linguistic process
French:
rétroformation
— linguistic process
German:
Rückbildung
— linguistic process
Greek:
αναδρομικός σχηματισμός
(anadromikós schimatismós)
— linguistic process
Hebrew:
גְּזִירָה לְאָחוֹר
(gzira leakhor)
— linguistic process
Hungarian:
elvonás
— linguistic process
Hungarian:
szóelvonás
— linguistic process
Italian:
retroformazione
— linguistic process
Japanese:
逆成
(gyakusei)
— linguistic process
Norwegian Bokmål:
tilbakedannelse
— linguistic process
Norwegian Bokmål:
tilbakedanning
— linguistic process
Polish:
derywacja wsteczna
— linguistic process
Portuguese:
derivação regressiva
— linguistic process
Romanian:
derivare regresivă
— linguistic process
Russian:
обра̀тное словообразова́ние
(obràtnoje slovoobrazovánije)
— linguistic process
Upper Sorbian:
naspjetna deriwacija
— linguistic process
Spanish:
derivación regresiva
— linguistic process
Swedish:
omvänd ordbildning
— linguistic process
Vietnamese:
phái sinh ngược
— linguistic process
Welsh:
ôl-ffurfiad
— linguistic process
Arabic:
مُشْتَقَّة عَكْسِيًّا
— word formed by this linguistic process
Danish:
subtraktionsdannelse
— word formed by this linguistic process
Finnish:
takaperoisjohdos
— word formed by this linguistic process
German:
Rückbildung
— word formed by this linguistic process
Hungarian:
elvonás
— word formed by this linguistic process
Norwegian Bokmål:
tilbakedannelse
— word formed by this linguistic process
Norwegian Bokmål:
tilbakedanning
— word formed by this linguistic process
Polish:
derywat wsteczny
— word formed by this linguistic process
Upper Sorbian:
naspjetna deriwacija
— word formed by this linguistic process
Spanish:
derivado regresivo
— word formed by this linguistic process
Welsh:
ôl-ffurf
— word formed by this linguistic process
