deverbal

/(ˌ)dē-ˈvər-bəl/ (ame, mw)

deverbal — adjective

  • deverbalpositive
  • more deverbalcomparative
  • most deverbalsuperlative

1. Describing a word or form that was made from a verb.

1.形容詞C2
釋義

Describing a word or form that was made from a verb.

例句

In class, Ilan explained that 'arrival' is deverbal because it comes from 'arrive'.

pattern: be deverbal because it comes from + verb

Our textbook calls 'payment' a deverbal noun formed from the verb 'pay'.

collocation: deverbal noun

同義詞
  • verb-derived

    Plainer wording for general teaching, while 'deverbal' is the more technical term.

  • deverbative

    A rarer specialist term that appears mostly in technical grammar writing.

反義詞
  • denominal

    Describes a word formed from a noun rather than from a verb.

  • deadjectival

    Describes a word formed from an adjective rather than from a verb.

文法句型

deverbal + noun

be + deverbal

be + deverbal + from + verb

用法筆記

Usually describes the finished word or form, such as a noun, adjective, or participle. Distinguish it from sense 2, which describes the suffix, pattern, or process used to build that item.

常見錯誤

❌Teacher' is a deverbal word from the noun 'teach'.
✅Teacher' is a deverbal word from the verb 'teach'.
💡'Deverbal' only applies when the base form is a verb.
❌Wooden' is deverbal.
✅Wooden' is denominal.
💡'Wooden' comes from the noun 'wood', not from a verb.

2. Describing an ending, pattern, or process used to build a new word from a verb.

2.形容詞C2
釋義

Describing an ending, pattern, or process used to build a new word from a verb.

例句

The editor added a note about the deverbal suffix in the handout.

collocation: deverbal suffix

Professor Chen said '-er' is deverbal when it turns 'teach' into 'teacher'.

pattern: turns verb into noun

同義詞
  • derivational

    Broader term for word-building, while 'deverbal' says specifically that the base is a verb.

  • word-forming

    Plain English alternative, but less precise than the technical label.

反義詞
  • denominal

    Used when the pattern builds a word from a noun instead of from a verb.

  • deadjectival

    Used when the pattern builds a word from an adjective instead of from a verb.

文法句型

deverbal + suffix

deverbal + pattern

deverbal + formation

用法筆記

Usually appears before technical nouns such as 'suffix', 'ending', 'pattern', or 'formation'. Distinguish it from sense 1, which describes the resulting word rather than the word-building tool.

常見錯誤

❌The noun teacher is a deverbal suffix.
✅The ending -er is a deverbal suffix.
💡A suffix is the ending used to build the word, not the whole word.
❌Driver is a deverbal pattern.
✅The change from drive to driver shows a deverbal pattern.
💡This sense names the process or pattern, not the finished noun.