Verbification

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of transforming a noun or adjective into a verb form, thereby changing its grammatical function and enhancing its usage
2. The act of converting non-verbal language elements into verbs to facilitate linguistic creativity and expression
3. The phenomenon of altering words classified as different parts of speech, notably nouns or adjectives, into verbs for varied stylistic applications

Etymology: "Verbification" is a noun built from "verb" and the suffix "-ification", which turns a root into a noun meaning the act or process of making it into something. The suffix came into English through Old French "-ification" from Latin "-ficātiō", a noun built on the verb "-ficāre", which itself comes from "facere", "to make" or "do". So the word's parts together mean something like "the making of a verb." The pattern is an old one. Words such as "classification" and "modification" followed the same route into English through French, and the Latin suffix was used to form nouns of action from many stems. "Verbification" applies the pattern to a grammatical term, so it names the conversion itself: turning a noun or adjective into a verb, as in "to google" or "to friend."