wholenoun

Wholenoun is a term used in linguistics to denote a class of nouns that represent complete, bounded entities treated as single, indivisible units in reference and discourse. The category is theoretical and not universally adopted, but it helps describe how speakers refer to objects in terms of totality rather than parts, distinguishing wholenouns from mass nouns, partitives, and pluralized objects.

Semantics and use: Wholenouns encode the notion of integrity or totality. They tend to denote an object considered as a singular whole rather than as a collection of components. This often influences determiner and modifier choice, with phrases like the whole X or X as a whole, and adjectives such as entire, complete, or intact frequently co-occurring. In discourse, a wholenoun can refer to a single unit (one whole X) or to several complete units (two whole Xs), depending on context.

Syntax and morphology: In many languages wholenouns behave like count nouns, taking numerals and determiners that mark individual units. They can participate in standard part–whole contrasts and in constructions that emphasize boundary and completeness, such as full-extent descriptions or boundary-focused modifiers.

Cross-linguistic considerations: The relevance of wholenouns is discussed in analyses of how languages encode totality, boundary, and unitized reference. Some frameworks treat wholenouns as a subtype of count nouns with a heightened salience for the boundary between a whole and its parts, while others view them as a pragmatic or semantic framing rather than a distinct lexical class.

See also: count noun, mass noun, partitive, collective noun, granularity.