Back formations

Long time not see! 

It's been almost a month since I wrote my last entry. I think you may excuse me since I've been busy dealing with the end of course and the beginning of my non-official -yet existing holidays and now we're in the middle of the summer. 

Anyway, the entry I intend to write today is not exactly refreshing for this sweltering summery heat but... well, it's an entry I've been meaning to write for so long and...what better timing than summer holidays?

Today's entry is about the facility of English when creating new words. In previous posts, I have dealt with other very interesting and surprising ways to create new words: toponymy I, toponymy II, conversion, eponyms, clippings, lexical creativity, abbreviations and initials, and blends. 

Well, today it's time for some back formations. Nope! It obviously doesn't have to do with your back. Back formation are words created by removing some suffixes of an original word, creating a new word that didn't exist before but whose meaning can be easily elicited. Too complicated? Well, let's put this simply:

New words are usually created by affixation, that is by adding prefixes or suffixes, for example, the word ''form' can be expanded with the prefix 'trans' and then it can be enlarged by the suffix -ation. Thus, we have this process: 

Form --> Transform --> Transformation.  In other words, a new word is created by adding things.

However, in back formation, the process is totally the opposite. A new word is created specifically, for instance, 'donation', and from that noun, by removing the suffix -ion, the verb 'donate' (which didn't exist before) was created. Therefore, the word 'donate' was invented after 'donation' backwards. 

Let's illustrate this with some more examples of back formations:

- Babysitter: From this word, the term babysit originated (it can even be inflected: 'babysat' being the past and participle).


- Caretaker: The verb 'caretake' originated from the person (very similar to the previous example).


- Enthusiasm: From this wonderful feeling, the verb 'enthuse' was created, and after that, the adjectives 'enthusing'. 



- Housekeeper: The person that takes care of your house, like a handmaid. From that person, we have the verb 'housekeep' 


- Drink-driving: An abominable action that no one should ever do. From that action, the verb 'drink-drive' appeared. 

- Opinion: From this word, the uncommonly formal verb 'opine' sprang up. 



- Sleepwalking: This is a condition whereby a person walks in their sleep. From that condition, the verb 'sleepwalk' appeared. 



- Typewriter: From this old-fashioned yet vintage machine, the verb 'typewrite' came to be!


- Air-conditioning: This is probably the best invention of the century, especially if you live in Madrid or in the south of Spain. From this invention, the verb 'air-condition' appear. You can air-condition a house or a room. 


- Bartender: This is the person that serves in a bar, similar to a waiter. From this person, the action of 'bartend' appeared (meaning: to serve in a bar).

Well, did you understand the concept of back formation? As you can imagine, more and more new words are invented every day by means of this unique process. This is one of the reasons why I keep loving English every day. It never ceases to surprise me!
Please, contribute with some more examples of your own and post them in a comment!