Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun linguistics A copulative or coordinative type of a compound in which members, if not compounded, would be in the same case and connect by the conjunction and. Common in languages such as Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese, but less so in English.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Sanskrit द्वंद्व (dvaṃdvá).

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Examples

Comments

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  • a compound word neither element of which is subordinate to the other, e.g. bittersweet.

    October 26, 2007

  • The adjective 'bittersweet' is commonly quoted as a dvandva compound. The noun 'bittersweet' (woody nightshade, Solanum dulcamara) is an example of a dvandva bahuvrihi.

    August 8, 2008

  • sanskrit doubling two

    September 6, 2009