a bahuvrihi compound (from , literally meaning "much rice" or "having much rice", but denoting a rich man) is a type of compound that denotes a referent by specifying a certain characteristic or quality the referent possesses. a bahuvrihi is exocentric, so that the compound is not a hyponym of its head. for instance, a sabretooth ("smil-odon") is neither a sabre nor a tooth, but a feline with sabre-like teeth.