COMPOUND: ἀλφηστής, -οῦ
CATEGORIZATION: N [N+V+Suf]
MEANING: ‘eating barley-groats’
ETIMOLOGY: noun root ἀλφ- (ἄλφι, ἄλφιτον) ‘barley-groats’ + verbal root ἐδ- (ἐσθίω, ἔδομαι) ‘eat’ + noun suf. -τής, -τοῦ
OCCURRENCE: Od. I, 349; XIII, 261
CASE/GENDER/NUMBER: dat. m. pl, acc. m. pl.
HEADEDNESS: endocentric (right-headed)
CLASSIFICATION: subordinate (argument-V) – tatpuruṣa (V-governing)
NOTES: Lengthening -ε->-η-  in compounding. Uncertain etymology, but the other etymology: deriv < ἀλφ-(-άνω) ‘bring in, yield’ + noun suf. -στής, -οῦ, meaning ‘earner> enterprising’ is less probable.