sheepdog
UK[ˈʃiːpdɒɡ]US[ˈʃiːpdɔːɡ]
n
a dog that is trained to control and herd sheep
Morpheme Breakdown
sheep
dog
sheep
dog
Etymology
the word 'sheepdog' is a transparent english compound, formed by directly combining the names of two entities. the first element, 'sheep', derives from old english 'sceap', a common germanic term for the ruminant animal. the second element, 'dog', originates from old english 'docga', a late and specific term for a canine, which eventually supplanted the earlier more general word 'hund'. the compound logically denotes a dog whose defined purpose is associated with sheep, specifically for herding and guarding. this pattern of noun-noun compounding is highly productive in english and creates a meaning that is directly inferable from the sum of its parts.
Analysis
Structure: sheep + dog
sheep (old english 'sceap', meaning the animal sheep, noun base) + dog (old english 'docga', meaning a canine, noun base)
Examples
the farmer relied on his skilled sheepdog to gather the flock each evening.
the border collie is one of the most intelligent breeds of sheepdog.
the sheepdog instinctively circled the stray sheep to guide it back to the others.