Moderate

Words such as 'edit' and 'house__keep' are instances of ____________?

Correct answer: D. Backformation

  • A. Compounding
  • B. Portmanteau
  • C. Derivation
  • D. Backformation

Explanation

Backformation creates a shorter word by removing an element mistakenly understood as a suffix: “edit” developed from “editor,” and “housekeep” is related to “housekeeper” or “housekeeping.” This differs from ordinary compounding, which joins complete words.

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