Verbinominalization

Verbinominalization is the process of forming verbs from nouns, a type of denominal derivation. The term is not uniformly used in linguistic literature, where more common descriptors include denominal verb formation or denominal derivation. In general, verbinominalization covers ways in which a noun-base is converted into a verb or extended to function as a verbal predicate.

Two primary pathways are typically observed. One is conversion or zero-derivation, where a noun is used as a verb without any explicit affix. Examples in English include bottle (to bottle), chair (to chair), and calendar (to calendar a meeting). A second pathway involves the use of affixes or productive patterns that attach to noun stems to yield verbs, sometimes producing new senses or specialized usages. In English, recent and widely used denominal verbs include Google (to Google something) and text (to text someone), where a noun or proper name is repurposed as a verb.

Semantically, denominal verbs often encode actions linked to the noun’s function, shape, or typical use. Over time, metaphorical extensions may broaden their meanings beyond the original noun domain. The productivity of verbinominalization varies across languages and historical periods: English exhibits extensive denominal verb formation, both by conversion and by occasional affixation, while other languages show different constraints and patterns for denominal verbs.

In linguistic discussion, verbinominalization is usually treated as a subset of denominal derivation and is distinguished from nominalization (verb to noun) and from non-denominal verb formation.