back formation: Meaning and Definition of

back' forma"tion

Pronunciation: [key]
— Ling. Ling.
  1. the analogical creation of one word from another word that appears to be a derived or inflected form of the first by dropping the apparent affix or by modification.
  2. a word so formed, as typewrite from typewriter.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.