A large number of unrelated languages scattered throughout the world share an intriguing morphological construction. In this construction, generally referred to as noun incorporation (NI), a N stem is compounded with a V stem to yield a larger, derived V stem [...].
- Mithun (2004), a pag.112

In some ways, NI is the most nearly syntactic of all morphological processes. It combines constituents, namely N's and V's, that are usually associated syntactically. It can be vastly more productive than other derivational processes, like nominalization or causativization, since it combines two potentially open sets of morphemes, N and V stems, instead of one set of stems and a limited set of affixes.
- Mithun (2004), a pag.163