word formation
How words arise
Word formation is the process of creating new words or word variants in a language.
It includes combining existing elements (as in *air* + *port* → *airport*), adding prefixes and suffixes (*kind* → *unkindly*), blending (*smoke* + *fog* → *smog*), shortening (*advertisement* → *ad*), and converting between parts of speech (*to google* from the noun).
English word formation tends to favor compounding over inflection.
Word-part modifier
- prefixRoot-modifying front element
- suffixWord-ending addition
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- stemPlant's central axis
morpheme · derivation · compounding · inflection · base · infix · derivational · inflectional
Invented term or currency
- portmanteauWord combining two others
- blendCombine into mixture
- acronymWord made from initials
- initialismSpelled-out letter shortening
clipping · conversion · eponym · retronym · protologism · neology · productive · trademark
Reconstructed common ancestor tongue
- cognateWord sharing etymological origin
- borrowingTemporary taking of another's
- loanwordImported vocabulary item
- etymonOriginal word form
reconstruction · calque · substrate · inherited · reflex · language family · analogy
One's word collection
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- lexemeFundamental dictionary unit
- headwordEntry term in dictionaries
- entryAccess or submission
dictionary · wordlist · technical vocabulary · frequency · lemma · citation form
Conventional phrase pattern
- noun phraseMulti-word noun construction
- phrasal verbVerb-particle combination
- fixed expressionInvariable linguistic unit
- subcategorizationClassifying words by complements
affix
Word-part modifier
stem · morpheme · derivation · compounding · inflection · base · infix · derivational · inflectional · agglutination
coinage
Invented term or currency
- portmanteauWord combining two others
- blendCombine into mixture
- acronymWord made from initials
initialism · clipping · conversion · eponym · retronym · protologism · neology · productive · trademark · genericization
proto-language
Reconstructed common ancestor tongue
- cognateWord sharing etymological origin
- borrowingTemporary taking of another's
- loanwordImported vocabulary item
etymon · reconstruction · calque · substrate · inherited · reflex · language family · analogy
vocabulary
One's word collection
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- lexemeFundamental dictionary unit
- headwordEntry term in dictionaries
entry · dictionary · wordlist · technical vocabulary · frequency · lemma · citation form
collocation
Conventional phrase pattern
- noun phraseMulti-word noun construction
- phrasal verbVerb-particle combination
- fixed expressionInvariable linguistic unit
word formationsyntax
Rules for arranging words
sentence structure · phonology · sound system · sound patterns · prosody
word, formation, misinformation, informative, informant, formative, reformation, informational, deformation