bahuvrihi

[ bah-hoo-vree-hee ]

noun,plural ba·hu·vri·his.
  1. Grammar. a compound noun or adjective consisting of two constituents, the first of which is adjectival and describes the person or object denoted by the second, which is nominal: the compound as a whole denotes or describes a person or object having what is denoted by the second element, as bonehead, heavy-handed, redcoat.

Origin of bahuvrihi

1
1840–50; <Sanskrit: literally, having much rice, equivalent to bahu- much + vrīhi rice; used to name the type of compound word of which it is an example

Words Nearby bahuvrihi

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British Dictionary definitions for bahuvrihi

bahuvrihi

/ (ˌbɑːhuːˈvriːhiː) /


nounlinguistics
  1. a class of compound words consisting of two elements the first of which is a specific feature of the second

  2. a compound word of this type, such as hunchback, bluebell, highbrow

Origin of bahuvrihi

1
C19: from Sanskrit bahuvrīhi, itself this type of compound, from bahu much + vrīh rice

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