What are Hypomorphs in Linguistics?

In linguistics, a hypomorph is a word or phrase that is derived from another word or phrase by removing one or more morphemes. The result is a shorter form of the original word or phrase that still conveys some of its meaning.

For example, "un-" is a hypomorph of "unlike", as it removes the prefix "un-" and the suffix "-ly" to create a shorter form that still conveys the idea of something being unlike something else. Similarly, "busy-" is a hypomorph of "business", as it removes the prefix "busi-" and the suffix "-ness" to create a shorter form that still conveys the idea of something being related to business.

Hypomorphs are often used in informal language, such as in spoken dialogue or in written texts where space is limited, like in headlines or social media posts. They can also be used for creative effect, such as in poetry or song lyrics, to create a more concise and impactful message.