parasynthesis

[ par-uh-sin-thuh-sis ]
/ ˌpær əˈsɪn θə sɪs /

noun Grammar.

the formation of a word by the addition of a derivational suffix to a phrase or compound, as of greathearted, which is great heart plus -ed.
the formation of a word by the addition of both a prefix and a derivational suffix to a word or stem, as demoralize.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of parasynthesis

First recorded in 1860–65; para-1 + synthesis

OTHER WORDS FROM parasynthesis

par·a·syn·thet·ic [par-uh-sin-thet-ik] /ˌpær ə sɪnˈθɛt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby parasynthesis

parasympathetic nervous system, parasympatholytic, parasympathomimetic, parasynapsis, parasynovitis, parasynthesis, parasyntheton, parasystole, parataniwha, parataxic, parataxic distortion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for para-synthesis

parasynthesis
/ (ˌpærəˈsɪnθɪsɪs) /

noun

formation of words by means of compounding a phrase and adding an affix, as for example light-headed, which is light + head with the affix -ed

Derived forms of parasynthesis

parasynthetic (ˌpærəsɪnˈθɛtɪk), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012