Back-formation

Origin

Back Formation www.pronto.com/ Find Back Formations at Great Prices.

noun Linguistics.

the analogical creation of one word from another word that appears to be a derived or inflected form of the first by dropping the apparent affix or by modification.

a word so formed, as typewrite from typewriter.

Origin:
1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Back-formation is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

back-formation

coined c.1890s by Eng. lexicographer James Murray (1837-1915) from back (adj.) + noun of condition from form (q.v.).

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Matching Quote

"There is a wonderful, but neglected precision in these words. The old English noun "travel" (in the sense of a journey) was originally the same word as "travail" (meaning "trouble," "work," or "torment").... Significantly, too, the word "tour" in "tourist" was derived by back-formation from the Latin "tornus," which in turn came from the Greek word for a tool describing a circle. The traveler, then was working at something; the tourist was a pleasure-seeker. The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him."

-Daniel J. Boorstin

Back-formation

back formation