It refers to an abnormal type of word-formation where a shorter word is derived by deleting an imagined affix from a longer form already in the language. For example, the word television appeared before televise. The first part of the word television was pulled out and analyzed as a root, even though no such root occurs elsewhere in the English language.

本题考查构词法中的逆成构词法。 逆成法与缀合法恰好相反， 缀合法借用词缀构成新词， 而逆成法则去掉被误认的后缀构成新词。 例如： televise由television删去-ion逆生而成。 利用这种构词手段创造的新词叫做逆生词， 逆生词多半属动词。