combining form

combining form
a) A form of a word used for combining with other words or other combining forms to make new words. A combining form may conjoin with an independent word (e.g., mini- + skirt), another combining form (e.g., photo- + -graphy) or an affix (e.g., cephal + -ic); it is thus distinguished from an affix, which can be added to either a free word or a combining form but not solely to another affix (e.g., Iceland + -ic but not pro- + -ic). It can also be distinguished historically from an affix when it is borrowed from another language in which it is descriptively a word (e.g., the French mal gave the English mal- in malodorous) or a combining form (e.g., the Greek kako-, a combining form of kakos, gave the English caco- in cacography).

Some fonts support more of these ligatures and combining forms than others.

b) In computer typography, the form of an accent that can be combined with other characters, as opposed to a single character that includes the accent.

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  • combining form — combining forms N COUNT A combining form is a word that is used, or used with a particular meaning, only when joined to another word. For example, legged as in four legged and fold as in fivefold are combining forms …   English dictionary

  • combining form — ► NOUN ▪ a form of a word normally used in combination with another element to form a word (e.g. bio ‘life’ in biology) …   English terms dictionary

  • combining form — n. a word form that occurs only in compounds or derivatives, and that can combine with other such forms or with affixes to form a word (Ex.: bio and lysis in biolysis) …   English World dictionary

  • Combining form — In the linguistics of word formation, a combining form (also neoclassical element) is a bound base designed to combine with another combining form or a free word. For example, bio combines with graphy to form biography .Words with combining forms …   Wikipedia

  • combining form — Gram. 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… …   Universalium

  • combining form — noun a bound form used only in compounds hemato is a combining form in words like hematology • Members of this Usage Domain: ↑smitten, ↑stricken, ↑struck, ↑columned, ↑billed, ↑bedded, ↑visaged, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • combining form — UK [kəmˈbaɪnɪŋ ˌfɔː(r)m] / US [kəmˈbaɪnɪŋ ˌfɔrm] noun [countable] Word forms combining form : singular combining form plural combining forms linguistics a form of a word that has its own meaning but is used only in combination with other words to …   English dictionary

  • combining form — noun Date: 1884 a linguistic form that occurs only in compounds or derivatives and can be distinguished descriptively from an affix by its ability to occur as one immediate constituent of a form whose only other immediate constituent is an affix… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • combining form — combin′ing form n. gram. a linguistic form that occurs only in combination with other forms and may conjoin with an independent word (mini +skirt) or another combining form (photo + graphy) Compare affix 5) • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

  • combining form — com bining .form n technical a word that is combined with another word or another combining form to make a new word, for example Anglo , meaning English , in the word Anglo American …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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