bender
Meaning
a period of heavy drinking, typically lasting for several days.
a person or thing that bends something.
Structure
Usage
he went on a three-day bender after losing his job.
the pipe bender in the workshop is an essential tool for plumbers.
the character in the novel is famous for his legendary benders.
Etymology
the word 'bender' is a straightforward english formation from the verb 'bend' and the agentive suffix '-er'. the verb 'bend' itself has germanic origins, tracing back to old english bendan, which carried the dual senses of "to bind" and "to curve a bow," likely from the proto-germanic bandijaną, "to bind." the modern sense of "to curve or flex" evolved from this. the agent noun 'bender' thus literally means "one who or that which bends." its slang application to a prolonged bout of drinking, first recorded in the mid-19th century, employs vivid metaphorical logic: such an episode "bends" or distorts one's normal routine and physical state, pushing them into a curved path away from sobriety.
Analysis
'bend' is from old english bendan, meaning "to constrain with a string, to bind, to curve." its functional role is the core verb root. 'er' is an old english agent suffix, used to form nouns indicating a person or thing that performs the action of the verb.