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Abahuvrīhi, orbahuvrīhi compound, is a type ofcompound word thatdenotes a referent by specifying a certain characteristic or quality the referent possesses.[1] A bahuvrihi isexocentric, so that the compound is not ahyponym of itshead. For instance, asabretooth (smil-odon) is neither asabre nor atooth, but a feline with sabre-like teeth.Bahuvrihi is fromSanskrit:बहुव्रीहि,romanized: bahuvrīhi,lit. 'having much rice', originally referring to fertile land but later denoting the quality of being wealthy or rich.
InSanskrit bahuvrihis, the last constituent is a noun—more strictly, a nominalstem—while the whole compound is an adjective.[1] InVedic Sanskrit theaccent is regularly on the first member (tatpurusharāja-pútra "a king's son", but bahuvrihirājá-putra "having kings as sons" (lit. king-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 theprivative a; the wordbahuvrīhí is itself likewise an exception to this rule.
Bahuvrihi compounds are calledpossessive compounds in English.[1] In English, bahuvrihis can be identified and the last constituent is usually a noun, while the whole compound is a noun or an adjective. The accent is on the first constituent. English bahuvrihis often describe people usingsynecdoche:flatfoot,half-wit,highbrow,lowlife,redhead,tenderfoot,long-legs, andwhite-collar.
In dictionaries and other reference works, the abbreviation 'Bhvr.' is sometimes used to indicate bahuvrihi compounds.[2]
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