Idiom
An idiom is a multiword construction that
- is a semantic unit whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meanings of its constituents, and
- has a non-productive syntactic structure.
An idiom often shows the following characteristics:
It is syntactically anomalous. It has an unusual grammatical structure.
- Example:
- by and large
It contains unique, fossilized items.
- Examples:
- to and fro fro < from = away (Scottish)
- cobweb cob < cop = spider (Middle English)
Wood, Mary M. 1986.A definition of idiom. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Linguistics Club.
Pei, Mario A., and Frank Gaynor. 1954.A dictionary of linguistics. New York: Philosophical Library.
Mish, Frederick (editor). 1991.Webster's ninth new collegiate dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. 1,564 pages. 0877795088; indexed 0877795096; deluxe 087779510X.
Drysdale, Patrick. 1981. "The idiocy of idioms: A problem of lexicology." CJOL.
Crystal, David. 1985.A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. 2nd edition. New York: Basil Blackwell.
Cruse, D. A. 1986.Lexical semantics. Cambridge, England: University Press.
Broader Terms
Related terms
- RT⇆ Collocate
- RT⇆ Fossilized Term
- RT⇆ Inflection
- RT⇆ Literal Meaning In A Lexical Database
- RT⇆ Metaphor
- RT⇆ Syntactic Function
- ExactMatch: https://glossary.sil.org/term/idiom
