Hybrid word


A hybrid word or hybridism is a word that etymologically derives from at least two languages. Such words may be considered a type of macaronic language.

Common hybrids

The most common form of hybrid word in English combines 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.
Hybridisms were formerly often considered to be barbarisms.

English examples

  • Antacid – from Greek wikt: ἀντι-#Ancient Greek 'against' and Latin acidus 'acid'; this term dates back to 1732.
  • Aquaphobia – from Latin wikt:aqua#Latin 'water' and Greek wikt:φοβία#Ancient Greek 'fear'; this term is distinguished from the non-hybrid word hydrophobia, a historical term for rabies and one of its main symptoms.
  • Asexual – from Greek prefix alpha privative 'without' and the Latin wikt:sexus#Latin 'sex'
  • Automobile – a wheeled passenger vehicle, from Greek wikt:αὐτός#Ancient Greek 'self' and Latin wikt:mobilis#Latin 'moveable'
  • Beatnik – a 1950s counterculture movement centered on jazz music, coffeehouses, marijuana, and a literary movement, from English 'beat' and Russian -nik 'one who does'. The term was coined in 1958 by San Francisco newspaper columnist Herb Caen.
  • Biathlon – from the Latin wikt:bis#Latin 'twice' and the Greek wikt:ἆθλον#Ancient Greek 'contest'; the non-hybrid word is diathlon
  • Bicycle – from Latin bis 'twice' and Greek wikt:κύκλος#Ancient Greek 'wheel'
  • Bigamy – from Latin bis 'twice' and Greek wikt:γάμος#Ancient Greek 'wedlock'; this term dates back to the 13th century.
  • Bigram – from Latin bis 'twice' and Greek wikt:γράμμα#Ancient Greek ; the non-hybrid word is digram
  • Bioluminescence – from the Greek wikt:βίος#Ancient Greek 'life' and the Latin wikt:lumen#Latin 'light'
  • Campanology – from Latin campana 'bell' and Greek -λογία 'the study of'
  • Chiral – from Greek wikt: χείρ#Ancient Greek 'hand' and Latin adjectival suffix wikt:-ālis#Latin. The term was coined in 1894.
  • Chloroform – from Greek wikt: χλωρός#Ancient Greek 'pale green' and Latin wikt:formica#Latin 'ant'. The term first appeared in 1830s.
  • Claustrophobia – from the Latin wikt:claustrum#Latin 'confined space' and Greek wikt:φόβος#Ancient Greek 'fear'. This term was coined in 1879.
  • Cryptocurrency – from the Greek wikt:κρυπτός 'hidden' and the Latin wikt:currens 'traversing'
  • Democide – from the Greek wikt:δῆμος#Ancient Greek 'people' and the Latin wikt:-cida#Latin '-killer'
  • Divalent – from Greek wikt:δύο#Ancient Greek 'two' and Latin wikt:valens#Latin 'strong'; the non-hybrid word is bivalent
  • Dysfunction – from the Greek δυσ- 'bad' and the Latin wikt:functio#Latin
  • Eigenvalue– and English of French origin 'value'.
  • Electrocution – a portmanteau of electricity, from the Greek wikt:ἤλεκτρον#Ancient Greek, 'amber', and execution, from the Latin wikt:exsequor#Latin, 'follow out'
  • Eusociality – from the Greek wikt:εὖ#Ancient Greek 'good' and the Latin wikt:socialitas#Latin
  • Genocide – From the Greek wikt:γένος#Ancient Greek 'race, people' and the Latin cīdere 'to kill'
  • Geostationary – From Greek wikt:γῆ#Ancient Greek 'Earth' and the Latin stationarius, from wikt:statio#Latin, from wikt:sto#Latin 'to stand'
  • Heteronormative – from Greek wikt:ἕτερος 'different' or 'other' and Latin wiktionary:norma#Latin 'norm'
  • Heterosexual – from Greek wikt:ἕτερος 'different' or 'other' and Latin wikt:sexus#Latin 'sex'
  • Hexadecimal – from Greek wikt:ἕξ#Ancient Greek, 'six', and Latin wikt:decimus#Latin 'tenth'; the non-hybrid word is sedecimal, from Latin wikt:sedecimalis#Latin
  • Hexavalent – from Greek wikt:ἕξ#Ancient Greek, 'six', and Latin wikt:valens#Latin, 'strong'
  • Homosexual – from the Greek wikt:ὁμός#Ancient Greek 'same' and the Latin wikt:sexus#Latin 'sex'
  • Hyperactive – from Greek wikt:ὑπέρ#Ancient Greek 'over' and Latin wikt:activus#Latin
  • Hypercomplex – from Greek ὑπέρ 'over' and Latin wikt:complexus#Latin 'an embrace'
  • Hypercorrection – from Greek ὑπέρ 'over' and Latin wikt:correctio#Latin
  • Hyperextension – from Greek ὑπέρ 'over' and Latin wikt:extensio#Latin 'stretching out'; the non-hybrid word is superextension
  • Hypervisor – from the Greek ὑπέρ 'over' and the Latin visor 'seer'. This word is distinguished from the non-hybrid word supervisor, which is software that manages multiple user programs; a hypervisor is software that manages multiple virtual machines
  • Liposuction – from the Greek wikt:λίπος#Ancient Greek 'fat' and the Latin wikt:suctio#Latin 'sucking'
  • Macroinstruction – from the Greek wikt:μακρος#Ancient Greek 'long' and the Latin wikt:instructio#Latin
  • Mattergy – from the Latin wikt:materia#Latin and the Greek wikt:ἐνέργεια 'energy': a "word for interchangeable matter and energy" Adjectival form: "matergetic".
  • Mega-annum – from the Greek wikt:μέγας#Ancient Greek 'large', and the Latin wikt:annum 'year'
  • Meritocracy – From the Latin wikt:meritus#Latin 'deserved' and the Greek wikt:-κρατία 'government'
  • Metadata – from the Greek wikt:μετά#Ancient Greek and the Latin wikt:datus#Latin 'given' from wikt:do#Latin
  • Microinstruction – from the Greek wikt:μικρός#Ancient Greek 'small' and the Latin wikt:instructio#Latin
  • Microcomputer – from the Greek wikt:μικρός#Ancient Greek 'small' and the English computer, from Latin wikt:computare
  • Microvitum – from the Greek wikt:μικρος#Ancient Greek 'small' and the pseudo-Latin vitum, from wikt:vita#Latin 'life'
  • Minneapolis – from the Dakota wikt:mini#Dakota 'water' and the Greek wikt:πόλις#Ancient Greek 'city'
  • Monoculture – from the Greek wikt:μόνος#Ancient Greek 'one, single' and the Latin wikt:cultura#Latin
  • Monolingual – from the Greek μόνος 'only' and the Latin wikt:lingua#Latin 'tongue'; the non-hybrid word is unilingual
  • Multiethnic – from the Latin wikt:multus#Latin 'many' and the Greek wikt:ἔθνος#Ancient Greek 'group of people'; the non-hybrid word is polyethnic
  • Multigraph – from the Latin wikt:multus#Latin 'many' and the Greek wikt:γραφή#Ancient Greek ; the non-hybrid word would be polygraph, but that is generally used with a different meaning
  • Neonate – from the Greek wikt:νέος#Ancient Greek, 'new', and the Latin natus 'birth'
  • Neuroscience – from the Greek wikt:νεῦρον#Ancient Greek 'sinew', and the Latin wikt:scientia#Latin, from wikt:sciens#Latin 'having knowledge'
  • Neurotransmitter – from the Greek wikt:νεῦρον#Ancient Greek 'sinew', and the Latin trans 'across' and mittere 'to send'
  • Nonagon – from the Latin wikt:nonus#Latin 'ninth' and the Greek wikt:γωνία#Ancient Greek 'angle'; the non-hybrid word is enneagon
  • Oleomargarine – from the Latin oleum 'beef fat' and the Greek 'pearl-like'
  • Pandeism – from the Greek wikt:παν#Ancient Greek 'all' and Latin wikt:deus#Latin 'god'; compare with the non-hybrid word pantheism
  • Periglacial – from the Greek wikt:περί#Ancient Greek and the Latin wikt:glacialis#Latin
  • Petroleum – from the Greek wikt:πέτρα#Ancient Greek 'rock', and the Latin wikt:oleum#Latin 'oil'
  • Polyamory – from the Greek wikt:πολύς#Ancient Greek 'many' and the Latin wikt:amor#Latin 'love'
  • Polydeism – from the Greek πολύς 'many' and the Latin wikt:deus#Latin 'god'; compare with the non-hybrid word polytheism
  • Postsynaptic – from the Latin wikt:post#Latin and English synapse, derived from Greek σύναψις
  • Psychosocial – from the Greek wikt:ψυχο- and Latin wikt:socius#Latin
  • Quadraphonic – from the Latin wikt:quattuor#Latin meaning four and the Greek φωνικός, from wikt:φωνή#Ancient Greek meaning sound; the non-hybrid word is tetraphonic
  • Quadriplegia – from the Latin quattuor 'four' and the Greek wikt:πληγή#Ancient Greek 'stroke', from wikt:πλήσσω#Ancient Greek 'to strike'; the non-hybrid word is tetraplegia
  • Sociology – from the Latin wikt:socius#Latin, 'comrade', and the Greek wikt:λόγος#Ancient Greek 'word', 'reason', 'discourse'
  • Sociopath – from the Latin wikt:socius#Latin from wikt:socio#Latin 'to associate with', and the Greek 'sufferer' from wikt:πάθος#Ancient Greek, 'incident, suffering, experience'
  • Television – from the Greek wikt:τῆλε#Ancient Greek 'far' and the Latin wikt:visio#Latin 'seeing', from wikt:video#Latin 'to see'
  • Tonsillectomy – from the Latin wikt:tonsillae#Latin 'tonsils' and the Greek wikt:εκτέμνω#Ancient Greek, 'to cut out'
  • Vexillology – from the Latin word wikt:vexillum#Latin, 'flag', and the Greek suffix wikt:-λογία, 'study'

    Other languages

Modern Hebrew

abounds with non-Semitic derivational affixes, which are applied to words of both Semitic and non-Semitic descent. The following hybrid words consist of a Hebrew-descent word and a non-Semitic descent suffix:
  • bitkhon-íst 'one who evaluates everything from the perspective of national security', from bitakhón 'security' + the productive internationalism -ist
  • khamúda-le 'cutie ', from khamuda 'cute + -le, endearment diminutive of Yiddish origin
  • kiso-lógya 'the art of finding a political seat ', from kisé 'seat' + the productive internationalism -lógya '-logy'
  • maarav-izátsya 'westernization', from maaráv 'west' + the productive internationalism -izátsya '-ization'
  • miluím-nik 'reservist, reserve soldier', from miluím 'reserve' + -nik, a most productive agent suffix of Yiddish and Russian descent
The following Modern Hebrew hybrid words have an international prefix:
  • anti-hitnatkút 'anti-disengagement'
  • post-milkhamtí 'post-war'
  • pro-araví 'pro-Arab'
Some hybrid words consist of both a non-Hebrew word and a non-Hebrew suffix of different origins:
  • shababnik 'rebel youth of Haredi Judaism', from Arabic shabab and -nik of Yiddish and Russian descent
Some hybrid words consist of a non-Hebrew word and a Hebrew suffix:
  • Individuali-ut 'Individualism', from English Individual and ut, a productive Hebrew suffix meaning -ism
Modern Hebrew also has a productive derogatory prefixal shm-, which results in an 'echoic expressive'. For example, um shmum, literally 'United Nations shm-United Nations', was a pejorative description by Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, of the United Nations, called in Modern Hebrew umot meukhadot and abbreviated um. Thus, when a Hebrew speaker would like to express their impatience with or disdain for philosophy, they can say filosófya-shmilosófya. Modern Hebrew shm- is traceable back to Yiddish, and is found in English as well as shm-reduplication. This is comparable to the Turkic initial m-segment conveying a sense of 'and so on' as in Turkish dergi mergi okumuyor, literally 'magazine "shmagazine" read:NEGATIVE:PRESENT:3rd.person.singular', i.e. ' doesn't read magazine, journals or anything like that'.