Definition:
A type of word formation in which a verb or an adjective (or other part of speech) is used as a noun. Verb: nominalize. See also:
Examples and Observations:
- "English is truly impressive . . . in the way it lets you construct nouns from verbs, adjectives, and other nouns; blogger and blogosphere are examples. All you have to do is add one of an assortment of suffixes: -acy (democracy), -age (patronage), -al (refusal), -ama (panorama), -ana (Americana), -ance (variance), -ant (deodorant), -dom (freedom), -edge (knowledge), -ee (lessee), -eer (engineer), -er (painter), -ery (slavery), -ese (Lebanese), -ess (laundress), -ette (launderette), -fest (lovefest), -ful (basketful), -hood (motherhood), -iac (maniac), -ian (Italian), -ie or -y (foodie, smoothy), -ion (tension, operation), -ism (progressivism), -ist (idealist), -ite (Israelite), -itude (decripitude), -ity (stupidity), -ium (tedium), -let (leaflet), -ling (earthling), -man or -woman (Frenchman), -mania (Beatlemania), -ment (government), -ness (happiness), -o (weirdo), -or (vendor), -ship (stewardship), -th (length), and -tude (gratitude). . . .
"At the present moment, everybody seems to be going a bit nuts with noun creation. Journalists and bloggers seem to believe that a sign of being ironic and hip is to coin nouns with such suffixes as -fest (Google 'baconfest' and behold what you find), -athon, -head (Deadhead, Parrothead, gearhead), -oid, -orama, and -palooza."
(Ben Yagoda, When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It. Broadway, 2007) - "When you turn a verb into a noun, you are nominalizing--a horrible thing to do. An obvious indication that you have just nominalized a verb is that the word gets longer, often by adding a Latinate suffix like tion, ization, or worse. . . . Don't abuse a verb by making it act like a noun."
(Lisa Price, Hot Text. New Riders, 2002)
Alternate Spellings: nominalisation (UK)
