combining form

American  

noun

Grammar.

1. a linguistic form that occurs only in combination with other forms. In word formation, a combining form may conjoin with an independent word (mini- +skirt ), another combining form (photo- +-graphy ), or an affix (cephal- +-ic ); it is thus distinct from an affix, which can be added to either a free word or a combining form but not solely to another affix (Iceland + -ic or cephal- + -ic but not pro- +-ic ). There are three types of combining forms: (1) forms borrowed from Greek or Latin that are derivatives of independent nouns, adjectives, or verbs in those languages; these combining forms, used in the formation of learned coinages, often semantically parallel independent words in English (cf., for example, cardio- in relation to heart, -phile in relation tolover ) and usually appear only in combination with other combining forms of Greek or Latin origin (bibliophile, notbookphile ); (2) the compounding form of a free-standing English word; such a combining form usually has only a single, restricted sense of the free word, and may differ from the word phonetically. Compare -proof, -wide, -worthy, -land, -man; (3) a form extracted from an existing free word and used as a bound form, typically maintaining the meaning of the free word, or some facet of it. Compare heli-, mini-, para-, -aholic, -gate, -orama. Note that the term “combining form” does not specify placement before or after the element to which the form is attached.

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combining form British  

noun

1. a linguistic element that occurs only as part of a compound word, such as anthropo- in anthropology

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Etymology

Origin of combining form

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

No matter what artistic discipline she’s working in, Mann is often inspired by the calculus of combining form and shape and sound.

From Washington Post • Apr. 12, 2022

These notes can be blindingly scholarly, filled with odd symbols and diacritical marks, like the entry for the combining form blephar-:

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2015

Stephen J. Fishman Sugar Land, Texas Stylish Holders The evolution of boats, as well as of accessories, is the art of combining form and function in ever more attractive packages.

From Time Magazine Archive

Omni-, om′ni, from L. omnis, all, a combining form, as in adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

A terminal combining form: Having a stamen or stamens; staminate; as, monandrous, with one stamen; polyandrous, with many stamens.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah