Word Formation: Compounding, Clipping, and Blending

written by: Heather Marie Kosur edited by: Tricia Goss updated: 12/29/2011 The word formation processes of compounding, clipping, and blending are important concepts when creating words. Also included for download are vocabulary lists of common English compounds, clipped words, and blends.

Compounding Compounding is the word formation process in which two or more lexemes combine into a single new word. Compound words may be written as one word or as two words joined with a hyphen. For example:
o o o o o o o o o o

noun-noun compound: note + book notebook adjective-noun compound: blue + berry blueberry verb-noun compound: work + room workroom noun-verb compound: breast + feed breastfeed verb-verb compound: stir + fry stir-fry adjective-verb compound: high + light highlight verb-preposition compound: break + up breakup preposition-verb compound: out + run outrun adjective-adjective compound: bitter + sweet bittersweet preposition-preposition compound: in + to into

Compounds may be compositional, meaning that the meaning of the new word is determined by combining the meanings of the parts, or noncompositional, meaning that the meaning of the new word cannot be determined by combining the meanings of the parts. For example, a blueberry is a berry that is blue. However, a breakup is not a relationship that was severed into pieces in an upward direction. Compound nouns should not be confused with nouns modified by adjectives, verbs, and other nouns. For example, the adjective black of the noun phrase black bird is different from the adjective black of the compound noun blackbird in that black of black bird functions as a noun phrase modifier while the black of blackbird is an inseparable part of the noun: a black bird also refers to any bird that is black in color while a blackbird is a specific type of bird.

Clipping Clipping is the word formation process in which a word is reduced or shortened without changing the meaning of the word. Clipping differs from back-formation in that the new word retains the meaning of the original word. For example:
o o o o o o o

advertisement ad alligator gator examination exam gasoline gas gymnasium gym influenza flu laboratory lab

o o o o o o o o

mathematics math memorandum memo photograph photo public house pub raccoon coon reputation rep situation comedy sitcom telephone phone

The four types of clipping are back clipping, fore-clipping, middle clipping, and complex clipping. Back clipping is removing the end of a word as in gas from gasoline. Fore-clipping is removing the beginning of a word as in gator from alligator. Middle clipping is retaining only the middle of a word as in flu from influenza. Complex clipping is removing multiple parts from multiple words as in sitcom from situation comedy.

Blending Blending is the word formation process in which parts of two or more words combine to create a new word whose meaning is often a combination of the original words. For example:
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

advertisement + entertainment advertainment biographical + picture biopic breakfast + lunch brunch chuckle + snort chortle cybernetic + organism cyborg guess + estimate guesstimate hazardous + material hazmat motor + hotel motel prim + sissy prissy simultaneous + broadcast simulcast smoke + fog smog Spanish + English Spanglish spoon + fork spork telephone + marathon telethon web + seminar webinar

Blended words are also referred to as portmanteaus.