suppletion

[ suh-plee-shuh n ]
/ səˈpli ʃən /

noun Grammar.

the use in inflection or derivation of an allomorph that is not related in form to the primary allomorph of a morpheme, as the use of better as the comparative of good.

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DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of suppletion

1275–1325; Middle English: supplementation, supplement < Medieval Latin supplētiōn- (stem of supplētiō) a filling up, equivalent to supplēt(us), past participle of supplēre to make complete, (sup- sup- + plē-, stem of plēre to fill (see full1) + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Words nearby suppletion

supplementary, supplementary angle, supplementary angles, supplementary story, supplementation, suppletion, suppletive, suppletory, supplex, suppliance, suppliancy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for suppletion

suppletion
/ (səˈpliːʃən) /

noun

the use of an unrelated word to complete the otherwise defective paradigm of a given word, as for example the use of went for the past tense of go

Derived forms of suppletion

suppletive, noun, adjective

Word Origin for suppletion

C14: from Medieval Latin supplētiō a completing, from Latin supplēre to supply 1
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