Taxonomy of Wordplay

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1. Word formation and history
1. clipping (word formed from part of a longer word: back-, fore- and fore-and-aft clipping), incl. dual clipping (van from vanguard and caravan)
2. hybrid or mule word (compound whose parts come from different languages)
3. imperative compound (agent noun formed from a verb plus its object: pickpocket, skinflint)
4. ghost word (dictionary entry that is not a real word, born of a misreading, misprint or hoax: dord)
5. pejoration (word whose meaning degenerates through use)
6. peripatetic or reborrowed word (borrowed through a chain of languages, or borrowed back into English respelled), most languages
1. etymon chain (name derived from a name derived from a name ..., each level a distinct etymon), longest
7. zazzification (slang intensified by substituting a z sound)
8. amelioration (word whose meaning improves through use, or swings between bad and good: nice, from foolish to pleasant)

Word formation and history

clipping (word formed from part of a longer word: back-, fore- and fore-and-aft clipping), incl. dual clipping (van from vanguard and caravan) [13-106,13-169,17-210]

        e.g. wig from periwig (front); rum from rumbullion (back); still from distillery (fore-and-aft)
        e.g. van from vanguard and from caravan (dual clipping)

hybrid or mule word (compound whose parts come from different languages) [12-12]

        common word: automobile (Greek auto + Latin mobilis)

imperative compound (agent noun formed from a verb plus its object: pickpocket, skinflint) [6-103]

        uncommon words: pickpocket & skinflint & spoilsport & turncoat & scofflaw

ghost word (dictionary entry that is not a real word, born of a misreading, misprint or hoax: dord) [14-239,19-230]

        e.g. dord (Webster's Second, misread from "D or d", density)
        uncommon word: abacot (misprint of bycocket)

pejoration (word whose meaning degenerates through use) [3-102]

        e.g. stink, once neutral: "the rose doth stynk full swetely"

peripatetic or reborrowed word (borrowed through a chain of languages, or borrowed back into English respelled), most languages [5-30,6-22,17-153]

        e.g. sugar: Sanskrit > Prakrit > Persian > Arabic > French > English (5 borrowings)
        e.g. filibuster: Dutch > English freebooter > French > Spanish > English (reborrowed)

etymon chain (name derived from a name derived from a name ..., each level a distinct etymon), longest [49-234,49-258]

        e.g. IndyCar < Indianapolis 500 < Indianapolis < Indiana < Indians < India < Indus

zazzification (slang intensified by substituting a z sound) [20-216]

        e.g. bonkers > zonkers, jillion > zillion, snappy > snazzy

amelioration (word whose meaning improves through use, or swings between bad and good: nice, from foolish to pleasant) [26-229]

        e.g. nice: foolish > lascivious > pleasant

Contents | previous: Etymology: Homographs, most | next: Meaning: Ambiguity