big-firm
UK[ˌbɪɡ ˈfɜːm]US[ˌbɪɡ ˈfɜːrm]
n
a large and established company, especially one that is influential in its industry
Morpheme Breakdown
big
firm
big
large
firm
company
Etymology
the term 'big-firm' is a modern english compound noun, combining two distinct lexical elements. the adjective 'big' originates from middle english, likely of norse origin, and has consistently denoted large size or importance. the noun 'firm', meaning a business partnership, entered english in the 18th century from the italian 'firma', meaning signature, via the concept of the name under which a company transacts business. the hyphenated compound 'big-firm' logically merges these concepts to specify a company distinguished not just by its legal structure but by its scale and market presence, a formation typical of english's analytical and combinatory nature in creating precise commercial terminology.
Analysis
Structure: big (large) + firm (company)
big (old english, adjective meaning 'of great size'); firm (latin via italian and french, noun meaning 'commercial company')
Examples
she started her career at a prestigious big-firm before launching her own consultancy.
the legal landscape is dominated by a few influential big-firms.
their strategy was to acquire smaller startups rather than compete directly with the established big-firms.