endocentric

9.9

A phrase that acts like one of its parts, for example 'large house' acts like the noun 'house'

adjective
/ˌɛndəˈsɛntrɪk/

Specialized

: endocéntrico

In the phrase 'large house', the construction is endocentric because it functions as a noun, like 'house'.

Examples

Linguists often discuss whether a phrase is endocentric or exocentric when analyzing sentence structure.
Some compound nouns are endocentric, where the whole compound shares the grammatical category of one element.
An endocentric phrase has a head that determines its grammatical function.
The term endocentric is crucial in syntactic theory.
In the phrase 'blackbird', the term endocentric refers to the construction that functions as a noun similar to 'bird'.
When analyzing sentence structure, linguists determine if a phrase is endocentric by checking if it has the grammatical properties of one of its components.
Compound phrases like 'toothbrush' are considered endocentric because they share the grammatical category of their head element.

Antonyms

exocentric

Specialized

9.9

A phrase or compound that has a role different from any of its parts

Compounds

endocentric compound

Specialized

9.9

A compound word that has the same meaning and role as its main part, for example blackbird

Surface Forms

endocentric positive

Morphology

endocentric = centric (transparent) = endo + centr + ic

The prefix 'endo-' meaning 'within' clearly combines with 'centric' to denote something centered within.

Etymology

Endocentric comes from the prefix endo- meaning 'inside' and centric, from centre, meaning 'center'. So an endocentric phrase is 'centered inside' — the whole phrase has the same role as one of its parts, for example 'large house' is a noun like 'house'.