beggar

The word 'beggar' presents a fascinating case of a verb formed from a noun, which then generated a new noun. The core verb 'beg' is of obscure etymology, possibly arising in the 13th century from the reduced form of the Old English bedecian. The agent suffix '-er' (here as '-ar') was then appended to create 'beggar,' literally meaning "one who begs." Intriguingly, the verb 'to beg' is actually a back-formation from the noun 'beggar,' a process where a shorter word is created by removing a supposed affix. Thus, the modern abstract meaning of a person reliant on alms evolved from the literal action, and the verb later developed a figurative sense of making something seem impoverished or implausible.

Structure: beg + ar - beg (verb): Of uncertain origin, likely from Old English bedecian (to beg), reinforced by Anglo-French begart. The functional role is the core verb meaning "to ask for charity." - ar (suffix): A variant of the agent noun suffix "-er," from Old English -ere, of Germanic origin. Its functional role is to form a noun denoting a person who performs the action of the verb.