the use of an unrelated word to complete the otherwise defective paradigm of a given word, as for example the use of went for the past tense of go
Derived forms
suppletive (supˈpletive)
noun, adjective
Word origin
C14: from Medieval Latin supplētiō a completing, from Latin supplēre to supply1
suppletion in American English
(səˈpliʃən)
noun Linguistics
1.
a.
the occurrence of an allomorph of a morpheme which has no phonological similarity to the other allomorphs (Ex.: the -en of oxen, as opposed to a form ending in -s)
b.
the use of an unrelated word (suppletive form) in a paradigm (Ex.: went for the past tense of go)
2.
the morphological process by which such replacement occurs
Derived forms
suppletive (ˈsuppletive) (ˈsʌplətɪv; səˈplitɪv)
adjective
Word origin
ME supplecioun < ML suppletio < L suppletus: see suppletory