bahuvrihi

/bɑːhuːˈvrɪhaɪ/

Definitions

1. noun

A compound word in which the second element is the primary meaning, and the first element is a qualifier or descriptor.

“The term ‘bookworm’ is an example of a bahuvrihi, where ‘worm’ refers to the primary meaning and ‘book’ is a descriptor.”

Synonyms

  • composite word
  • compound word

Antonyms

  • monomorpheme