Definition

In linguistics, it refers to the use of a different form that is not phonetically related to complete a grammatical pattern, such as the different forms of a verb or adjective that do not share a common root.

Example

The past tense of 'go' is an example of suppletion, as it uses 'went' instead of a form derived from 'go'.

Conversation

Have you heard about the concept of suppletion in linguistics?

Yeah, it's pretty interesting how some words change forms completely.

Exactly! Like how 'go' becomes 'went' — that's a classic example of suppletion.

Right? It really shows how unpredictable language can be.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Suppletion is derived from "suppletio" (from Latin, meaning to fill up or supply) and the suffix "-ion" (indicating an action or process). The term refers to the process of using an irregular morphological form to fill in a gap in a paradigm, such as using 'went' instead of 'goed' as the past tense of 'go'.

Memory Tip

Think of 'suppletio' meaning to 'fill up' — this helps you remember that suppletion is about filling in gaps in language forms.

Visually Confused Words