What are clipped words?
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1. Introduction
In English language, clipping is the process of forming new words by dropping one or more syllables from a larger word, thereby resulting in a shorter word. Clipped Words are the words that are formed by clipping one or more syllables from a larger word or phrase, while retaining the meaning of the original word or phrase.
Being shorter, clipped words are easy to spell and pronounce. Clipped words are more commonly used in everyday language. It is interesting to note, in some cases, the clipped form of a word is more popular (and more frequently used) than the original word itself.
Clipping is also known as shortening or truncation. Clipping refers to part of a word that provides for the whole, such as the word "bike" from "motorbike", and "cooker" from "pressure cooker".
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2. Three types of clipped words
There are 3 types of clipped words:
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Front clipped words: Such words are formed by clipping front part of a larger word or phrase. In front clipping, the end of the word is retained.
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Back clipped words: Such words are formed by clipping back part of a larger word or phrase. In back clipping, the beginning of the word is retained.
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Middle clipped words: Such words are formed by clipping both front and back parts of a larger word or phrase. In middle clipping, the middle of the word is retained.
The image below shows the three types of clipped words with one example of each type:
Before we take look at some of the examples of Clipped Words, I should note that sometimes two words are joined together or blended to form a new word. This process of blending words together results in the formation of completely new words called "blend words". We encourage you to read more about blend words in our article decicated to the topic.
3. Clipped Words List
3.1 Front clipping examples
| Clipped Word | Original word |
|---|---|
| phone | telephone |
| bike | motorbike |
| burger | hamburger |
| cooker | pressure cooker |
| pen | fountain pen |
| plane | aeroplane |
| bus | omnibus |
| tie | neck-tie |
| van | caravan |
| pike | turnpike |
| mum | chrysanthemum |
3.2 Back clipping examples
The image below shows a few common examples of back-clipped words:
| Clipped Word | Original word |
|---|---|
| gym | gymnasium |
| cable | cablegram |
| pub | public house |
| exam | examination |
| specs | spectacles |
| veg | vegetarian |
| memo | memorandum |
| gas | gasoline |
| photo | photograph |
| cafe | cafeteria |
| lab | laboratory |
| ad | advertisement |
| lunch | luncheon |
| fan | fanatic |
| cab | cabriolet |
| zoo | zoological garden |
| sitcom | situation comedy |
| piano | pianoforte |
| pants | pantaloons |
| movie | moving picture |
| ag | agriculture |
| alum | alumna |
| bio | biology |
| auto | auto-mobile |
| disco | discotheque |
| chimp | chimpanzee |
| dad | daddy |
| fab | fabulous |
| mom | mommy |
| prep | preparatory |
| quad | quadrangle |
| frank | frankfurter |
| pug | pugnacious |
| math | mathematics |
| grad | graduate |
| limo | limousine |
| dorm | dormitory |
| sub | submarine |
| taxi | taxicab |
| teen | teenager |
| tux | tuxedo |
| typo | typographical error |
| co-op | cooperative |
| rhino | rhinoceros |
| stereo | stereophonics |
| stats | statistics |
| rev | revolution |
| cuke | cucumber |
| con | convict |
| store | storehouse |
| ref | referee |
| non-veg | non-vegetarian |
| vet | veterinary surgeon |
| sis | sister |
| vibes | vibrations |
| ID | identification |
3.3 Middle clipping examples
| Clipped Word | Original word |
|---|---|
| fridge | refrigerator |
| flu | influenza |
| script (for medicine) | Prescription |
💡 Note: Clipped words are different from "abbreviations" and "contractions".
Although, an abbreviation is also a shortened form of a word or phrase, they often end with a period (.), such as Lib. for Library. Abbreviations are clearly understood to be substitutes for the full term. On the other hand, a contraction is a word or phrase that has been shortened by dropping one or more letters. When writing a contraction, an apostrophe (') replaces the missing letters, such as let's go for let us go.
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