Deverbative

A deverbative, or deverbal word, is a word that is formed from a verb by means of derivational morphology. Deverbatives can function as different parts of speech, most commonly as nouns or adjectives, but they may also take other grammatical roles depending on the language and context. The core meaning of the original verb is typically retained, while the affix or process signals a shift in grammatical category or semantic sense.

In English, deverbatives are created with a variety of affixes and processes. Nouns are often formed with suffixes such as -tion/-sion (construction from construct, destruction from destroy), -ment (movement from move), and -er/-or (teacher from teach, runner from run). Adjectives are frequently produced with suffixes like -ive (creative from create, destructive from destroy) and -able (readable from read). The -ing form can yield gerunds or deverbal nouns (e.g., running, a running). Other patterns include -al (arrival from arrive) and -ness when applicable through an adjective base (happiness from happy, though not all happiness-type items are overtly deverbal).

Deverbatives play a central role in vocabulary expansion, enabling verbs to spawn agents, instruments, results, qualities, and processes. They can be polysemous and increasingly integrated into everyday usage, sometimes shifting nuance over time. In many languages, deverbal derivation is highly productive, with a rich system of affixes that allows speakers to coin new terms from existing verbs, while in others morphology is less productive and relies more on compounding or other mechanisms.