Derivation

•Languages may either borrow new lexical items from other languages, or create them from existing resources (derivation).

• Derivation involving bound morphemes is called affixation; word creation using free morphemes is known as compounding.

Alternatively, new words can be created or derived using the language’s existing lexical resources, whether this involves bound morphemes (affixation), or free ones (compounding); the lexical resources deployed are known as derivational morphemes. The morphemes most commonly used in affixation are prefixes and suffixes. English is rich in both: