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A '''''bahuvrihi''''' '''compound''' (from {{lang-sa|बहुव्रीहि|tr=bahuvrīhi|lit=much rice/having much rice}}, originally referring to fertile land but later denoting the quality of being wealthy or rich) is a type of [[compound (linguistics)|compound word]] that [[Metonymy|denotes a referent by specifying a certain characteristic or quality the referent possesses]].<ref name=ruppel>{{cite book<br />
| last = A.M.<br />
| first = Ruppel<br />
| title = The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit<br />
| publisher = Cambridge University Press<br />
| date = 2017<br />
| location = New York<br />
| pages = 139-41<br />
| language = English<br />
| isbn = 1107088283<br />
}}</ref> A bahuvrihi is [[exocentric]], so that the compound is not a [[hyponym]] of its [[Head (linguistics)|head]]. For instance, a [[saber-toothed cat|sabretooth]] (''[[smilodon|smil-odon]]'') is neither a [[sabre]] nor a [[tooth]], but a feline with sabre-like teeth. <br />
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In [[Sanskrit]] bahuvrihis, the last constituent is a noun—more strictly, a nominal [[stem (linguistics)|stem]]—while the whole compound is an adjective.<ref name=ruppel/> In [[Vedic Sanskrit]] the [[Vedic accent|accent]] is regularly on the first member ({{lang|sa-Latn|[[tatpurusha]]}} ''{{lang|sa-Latn|rāja-pútra}}'' "a king's son", but bahuvrihi ''{{lang|sa-Latn|rājá-putra}}'' "having kings as sons", viz. ''{{lang|sa-Latn|rājá-putra-}}'', m., "father of kings", ''{{lang|sa-Latn|rājá-putrā-}}'', f., "mother of kings"), with the exception of a number of non-nominal prefixes such as the [[privative a]]; the word ''{{lang|sa-Latn|bahuvrīhí}}'' is itself likewise an exception to this rule.<br />
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Bahuvrihi compounds are called '''possessive compounds''' in English.<ref name=ruppel/> 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 using [[synecdoche]]: ''flatfoot'', ''half-wit'', ''highbrow'', ''lowlife'', ''redhead'', ''tenderfoot'', ''long-legs'', and ''white-collar''.<br />
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In dictionaries and other reference works, the abbreviation 'Bhvr.' is sometimes used to indicate bahuvrihi compounds.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=e2YaAQAAIAAJ&lpg=RA2-PA2&ots=uHziZLTX95&dq=%22Bhvr.%22%20Bahuvrihi&pg=RA2-PA2#v=onepage&q=%22Bhvr.%22%20Bahuvrihi&f=false Handbuch der Sanskritsprache, Volumes 1-2]</ref><br />
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== Examples ==<br />
=== English ===<br />
* "[[Houndstooth]]", a woven fabric with a patterns resembling dog's teeth: "She's wearing houndstooth."<br />
* "[[Old money]]", members from established upper-class who have usually inherited their wealth: "He's definitely old money."<br />
* "[[Bluestocking]]", an educated, intellectual, or artistically accomplished woman: "Auntie Maud will never marry; she's a bluestocking."<br />
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=== Other languages === <br />
* {{lang|non|[[Skinfaxi]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|[[Hrímfaxi]]|italic=no}} (meaning ''shining-mane'' and ''rime-mane''; two horses in [[Norse mythology]]) are two examples of [[Old Norse]] bahuvrihis.<br />
* ''{{lang|peo-Latn|[[Achaemenes|Haxāmaniš]]}}''<br />
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== See also ==<br />
{{Wiktionary}}<br />
* [[Dvandva]]<br />
* [[Dvigu]]<br />
* [[Kenning]]<br />
* [[Sanskrit compound]]<br />
* [[Synecdoche]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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[[Category:Linguistic morphology]]<br />
[[Category:Vyakarana]]<br />
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