bahuvrihi

ba·hu·vri·hi

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bah-hoo-vree-hee]
- /ˌbɑ huˈvri hi/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bah-hoo-vree-hee]
- /ˌbɑ huˈvri hi/

Definitions of bahuvrihi word

noun bahuvrihi a class of compound words consisting of two elements the first of which is a specific feature of the second 3
noun bahuvrihi a compound word of this type, such as hunchback, bluebell, highbrow 3
noun plural bahuvrihi 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. 1
noun bahuvrihi (linguistics) A type of nominal compound in which the first part modifies the second and neither part alone conveys the intended meaning. 1

See all 4 definitions of bahuvrihi

Information block about the term

Origin of bahuvrihi

First appearance:

before 1840

One of the 33% newest English words

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

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Bahuvrihi

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Bahuvrihi

bahuvrihi popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 43% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

bahuvrihi usage trend in Literature

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