Hybrid word

Hybrid word

A hybrid word is a word which etymologically has one part derived from one language and another part derived from a different language.

Common hybrids

The most common form of hybrid word in English is one which combines etymologically Latin and Greek parts. Since many prefixes and suffixes in English are of Latin or Greek etymology, it is straightforward to add a prefix or suffix from one language to an English word that comes from a different language, thus creating a hybrid word.

Such etymologically-disparate mixing is considered by some to be bad form. Others, however, argue that, since both (or all) parts already exist in the English lexicon, such mixing is merely the conflation of two (or more) English morphemes in order to create an English neologism (new word), and so is appropriate.

Examples

*Aquaphobiafrom Latin "aqua" "water" and Greek "φοβία" "fear"; this term is distinguished from the non-hybrid word hydrophobia, which can refer to symptoms of rabies.
*Automobilea wheeled passenger vehicle, from Greek "αυτό~" ("auto") "self~" and Latin "mobilis" "moveable"
*Biathlonfrom the Latin "bis" and the Greek ("athlon")
*Bigamyfrom the Latin "bis" meaning "twice" and the Greek "γαμος" ("gamos")
*Bioluminescencefrom the Greek "βιος" ("bios") "living" and the Latin "lumen" "light"
*Dysfunctionfrom the Greek δυσ- ("dus-") meaning "bad" and the Latin "functio"
*Electrocutiona portmanteau of "electricity", from the Greek "ἤλεκτρον" ("ēlektron"), "amber", and "execution", from the Latin "exsequere", "follow out"
*Hexadecimalfrom the Greek ("hex") meaning "six" and the Latin "decimus" meaning "tenth"
*Homosexualfrom the Greek "ὁμός" ("homos") meaning "same" and the Latin "sexus" meaning "gender" (This example is remarked on in Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love, with A. E. Housman's character saying "Homosexuality? What barbarity! It's half Greek and half Latin!".)
*Hyperactivefrom the Greek "ὑπέρ" ("hyper") meaning "over" and the Latin "activus"
*Hypercomplexfrom the Greek ("hyper")
*Hypercorrectionfrom the Greek ("hyper") meaning "over" and the Latin "correctio"
*Hyperextensionfrom the Greek ("hyper") meaning "over" and the Latin "extensio" meaning "stretching out"
*Hypervisorfrom the Greek ("hyper") meaning "over" and the Latin "visor" meaning "seer"; the non-hybrid word is supervisor
*Liposuctionfrom the Greek ("lipos") meaning "fat" and the Latin "suctio" meaning "sucking"
*Macroinstructionfrom the Greek "μακρος" ("makros") meaning "long" and the Latin "instructio"
*Mega-annumfrom the Greek "μέγας" ("megas"), meaning "large", and the Latin "annum", "year"
*Metadatafrom the Greek ("meta") and the Latin "data" meaning "given"
*Microvitumfrom the Greek "μικρος" ("mikros") meaning "small" and the pseudo-Latin "vitum"
*Monoculturefrom the Greek "μόνος" ("monos") and the Latin "cultura"
*Monolingualfrom the Greek "μόνος" ("monos") meaning "one" and the Latin "lingua" meaning "tongue"; the non-hybrid word is unilingual
*MormonIt was alleged by Joseph SmithFact|date=February 2007 that Mormon comes from the English "more" and the Reformed Egyptian "mon" meaning "good".
*Neonatefrom the Greek "νέος" ("neos"), "new", and the Latin "natus", "birth"
*Neurosciencefrom the Greek "neuron," meaning "sinew," and the Latin "sciens," meaning "having knowledge."
*Neurotransmitterfrom the Greek "neuron," meaning "sinew," and the Latin, "trans" meaning "across" and "mittere" meaning "to send."
*Nonagonfrom the Latin "nonus" meaning "ninth" and the Greek "γωνον" ("gonon") meaning "angle"; the non-hybrid word is enneagon
*Pandeismfrom the Greek "πάν" ("pan") meaning "all" and Latin "deus" meaning "God"; the non-hybrid word is pantheism
*Periglacialfrom the Greek ("peri") and the Latin "glacialis"
*Polyamoryfrom the Greek "πολύς" ("polys") meaning "many" and the Latin "amor" meaning "love"
*Polydeismfrom the Greek "πολύς" ("polys") meaning "many" and the Latin "deus" meaning "God"; the non-hybrid word is polytheism
*Quadraphonicfrom the Latin "quattuor" meaning four and the Greek ("-phonikos"); the non-hybrid word is tetraphonic
*Quadriplegiafrom the Latin "quattuor" meaning four and the Greek ("-plegia"); the non-hybrid word is tetraplegia
*Sociologyfrom the Latin "socius", "comrade", and the Greek "λόγος" ("logos") meaning "word", "reason", "discourse"
*Sociopathfrom the Latin "socius" from "sociare" meaning "to associate with," and the Greek ("-pathes") meaning "sufferer" from "pathos" meaning "incident", "suffering," or "experience."
*Televisionfrom the Greek "τῆλε" ("tēle") meaning "far" and the Latin "visio" from "videre" meaning "to see"
*Tonsillectomyfrom the Latin "tonsillae" "to branch" and the Greek ("ektomia" (lat)-ectomia "to cut" as in remove)

See also

* International Scientific Vocabulary
* Greek and Latin roots in English
* Classical compound
* Interlingua
* In Sino-Japanese vocabulary, hybrid words are called jūbako (重箱) or yutō (湯桶); see: Kanji#Other readings


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