päätermi

Päätermi is a term used in Estonian to refer to the main or primary term in a compound word or phrase. It is the first component of a compound word that carries the primary meaning, while the second component, known as the side term (külgtermi), provides additional information or specifies the primary term. For example, in the compound word "õpilaspilet" (student ticket), "õpilane" (student) is the päätermi, and "pilet" (ticket) is the külgtermi. The päätermi is crucial in determining the overall meaning of the compound word, as it is the term that is typically looked up in a dictionary to understand the word's primary definition. The concept of päätermi is an important aspect of Estonian morphology and is used in various linguistic studies and language teaching.