compound words
Joined word pairs
Compound words are formed by joining two or more existing words to create a new term with its own meaning.
They appear in three forms: closed compounds written as single words bookshelf, sunflower, hyphenated compounds mother-in-law, well-being, and open compounds written as separate words ice cream, real estate.
The conventions for which form to use are inconsistent and evolve over time, with many compounds progressing from open to hyphenated to closed as they become more established in the language.
- notebookBlank pages for jottings
- sunflowerTall daisy-family plant
- ice creamChurned frozen dairy dessert
- high schoolUpper secondary institution
- living roomHome's social space
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