It's not a gerund since "bookkeep" isn't a verb, is it?
Is "bookkeep" a verb?
Please, can someone help me understand the properties of this word? Is it, for example, a compound noun?
8
-
1Hm... "keep" is a verb, and "keeping" is a gerund... and "bookkeeping" means "keeping book[s]"... Is there a word for constructions in which the verb and object are combined as a gerund but not commonly as a verb? "Goaltending..." "haircutting" (never mind that "haircut" is a noun of its own...)– Andy BonnerCommented Jun 23, 2021 at 19:18
-
1It's certainly a compound noun, formed from "bookkeeping" (compound nouns are normally formed with a noun as the final component). This article discusses how "gerunds can form compound nouns". But no particular name for them.– Stuart FCommented Jun 23, 2021 at 21:01
-
I muck prefer book-keeping. Those double Ks look ugly.– Michael HarveyCommented Jun 23, 2021 at 21:41
-
1The double k's are beautiful. Name me one other word that has three consecutive double letters.– PeteCommented Jun 23, 2021 at 22:43
-
Sutar's example looked to me like go-alt-ending– GEdgarCommented Jun 24, 2021 at 0:21
|
Show 3 more comments
1 Answer
As far as I know, "bookkeep" is not a word. But "bookkeeping" and "bookkeeper" are. Here is some more info that might help: bookkeeper etymology