Bahuvrihi

A bahuvrihi compound (from Sanskrit बहुव्रीहि, bahuvrīhi, literally meaning "possessing much rice") is a type of compound that denotes a referent by specifying a certain characteristic or quality the referent possesses. A bahuvrihi is exocentric, so that the compound is not a hyponym of its head. For instance, a sabretooth (smil-odon) is neither a sabre nor a tooth, but a feline with saber-like teeth.

The term bahuvrihi was first used by Sanskrit grammarians, and is a specific Sanskrit example: a compound consisting of bahu (much) and vrihi (rice); the compound denotes a rich man, one who has "much rice".

In Sanskrit bahuvrihis, the last constituent is a noun, more strictly, a nominal stem, while the whole compound is an adjective. The accent is regularly on the first member (tatpurusha rāja-pútra "a king's son", but bahuvrihi rājá-putra "having kings as sons" (viz rājá-putra- (m.) "father of kings", rājá-putrā- (f.) "mother of kings"), with the exception of a number of non-nominal prefixes such as the privative a; the word "bahuvrīhí" is itself likewise an exception to this rule.

In English bahuvrihis, the last constituent is usually a noun, while the whole compound is a noun or an adjective. Accent is on the first constituent. English bahuvrihis often describe people using synecdoche: flatfoot, half-wit, highbrow, lowlife, redhead, tenderfoot, longlegs, and white-collar.

Examples

• "Houndstooth", a woven fabric with a patterns resembling a canine tooth: "She's wearing a houndstooth jacket"
• "Old Money", members from established upper-class who have usually inherited their wealth: "He's definitely Old Money"
• "Bluestocking", an educated, intellectual or artistically accomplished woman: "Auntie Maud will never marry, she's a Bluestocking"
• "Hunchback", someone with a deformed, hunch-like back: "Quasimodo, the bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, was a hunchback."

See also

• Sanskrit compounds
• Tatpurusha
• Dvigu
• Dvandva