In grammar, denominal verbs are verbs derived from nouns. Many languages have regular morphological indicators to create denominal verbs.
English
English examples are to school, from school, meaning to instruct; to shelve, from shelf, meaning to put on shelves; and to symbolize, from symbol, meaning to be a symbol for.
Some common denominalizing affixes in English are -ize/-ise (e.g., summarize), -ify (e.g., classify), -ate (e.g., granulate), en- (e.g., enslave), be- (e.g., behead), and zero or -∅ (e.g., school).
A variety of semantic relations are expressed between the base noun X and the derived verb. Although there is no simple relationship between the affix and the semantic relation, there are semantic regularities that can define certain subclasses. Such subclasses include: resultative: to make something into an X, e.g., victimize, cash locative: to put something in X, e.g., box, hospitalize instrumental: to use X, e.g., sponge, hammer ablative: to remove something from X, e.g., deplane, unsaddle privative: to remove X from something, e.g., pit (olives), behead, bone, defrost ornative: to add X to something or to cover something with X, e.g., rubberize, salt similative: to act like or resemble X, e.g., tyrannize, guard performative: to do or perform X, e.g., botanize, tango
Rgyalrong
In Rgyalrong languages, denominal derivations are extremely developed and have given rise to incorporating and antipassive constructions.
Latin
Many Latin verbs are denominal. For example, the first conjugation verb nominare (to name) is derived from nomen (a name), and the fourth conjugation verb mollire (to soften) derives from the adjective mollis (soft).
Hebrew
Denominal verb derivation is highly productive in Hebrew. They are derived from denominal roots and mostly get a set of , and binyans, but can accept others as well. Only active binyan is shown here:
( - computer) -> ( - computerize); ( - digit/digital) -> ( - digitize); ( - extract, summary) -> ( - summarize); ( - map) -> ( - map).
Some roots derive verbs from more than one binyan set:
( - place) -> ( - place, locate), ( - localize).
See also
Deverbal noun, where the noun is formed from the verb.