bahuvrihis
|ba-hu-vri-hi-s|
🇺🇸
/ˌbɑːhuːˈvriːhiːz/
🇬🇧
/ˌbɑːhəˈvriːhiːz/
(bahuvrihi)
possessing X / exocentric compound
Etymology
'bahuvrihi' originates from Sanskrit, specifically the word 'bahuvrīhi', where 'bahu' meant 'much, many' and 'vṛīhi' meant 'rice'.
'bahuvrīhi' entered linguistic terminology in European scholarship (19th century) via Sanskrit studies; the Sanskrit technical term was adopted into English as 'bahuvrihi' to name this class of compounds.
Initially it literally described a compound meaning 'much rice' (i.e., 'having much rice'), but over time it became a technical label for exocentric compounds — compounds that denote something possessing the quality named by the compound.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'bahuvrihi' — exocentric (bahuvrīhi) compounds: compounds whose meaning denotes something possessing the property described by the compound (a compound that refers to an external entity rather than to one of its parts).
Bahuvrihis are discussed in studies of Sanskrit and comparative linguistics; for example, the English compound 'redhead' functions as a bahuvrihi.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/01 04:35