Adnoun

In linguistics, an adnoun is a kind of lexical category. In English, it is a word that is usually an adjective, but is being used as a noun. The origin of the word is thought to date to around 1745-1755.

Examples:

  • "guide-dogs for the blind", "blind" is an adnoun because it stands in for the noun phrase "blind people"
  • "tax cuts for the rich", "rich" is an adnoun because it stands in for the noun phrase "rich people"

Often these usages are simply identified as the noun form of the word.

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