List of English back-formations

• abduct probably from abduction • abscess (v.) from abscessed • acculturate from acculturation • advect from advection • 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 • cose from cosy • couth from uncouth • 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 • 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==