Word Extensions
Solomon Golomb, A&S '51
The targets in these problems are set rather high. I exceed them by only two or three words in my solutions. If you achieve them, you will probably find some words that I missed.
How many English nouns can you list that become new words by the addition of the suffix –eer? (Examples include auction-eer and musket-eer.) Target: 20 words.
How many additional English words of two or more syllables, ending in –eer, can you list? Target: 10 words.
How many English nouns of two or more syllables can you list that end in –oon? (Examples include ball-oon and pont-oon.) Target: 30 words.**
[Solutions below]
GOLOMB'S ANSWERS
1. auction-eer, ballad-eer, camel-eer, cannon-eer, chariot-eer, command-eer, cricket-eer, election-eer, fusil-eer, gadget-eer, junket-eer, market-eer, mountain-eer, musket-eer, pamphlet-eer, profit-eer, puppet-eer, racket-eer, sonnet-eer, wagon-eer. Also, car-eer and pion-eer meet the literal (if not spiritual) requirements of the problem.
2. Bandol-eer, buccan-eer, chanticl-eer, domin-eer, engin-eer, gazett-eer, mutin-eer, privat-eer, reind-eer, ven-eer, volunt-eer. (Should we count "mousket-eer"?)
3. Bab-oon, ball-oon, bass-oon, buff-oon, card-oon, cart-oon, coc-oon, doubl-oon, drag-oon, fest-oon, harp-oon, lag-oon, lamp-oon, macar-oon, mar-oon, mons-oon, octor-oon, pantal-oon, picar-oon, plat-oon, poltr-oon, pont-oon, quad-roon, racc-oon, rigad-oon, sal-oon, sim-oon, spitt-oon, tablesp-oon, teasp-oon, tyc-oon, typh-oon.
