blinkers
UK[ˈblɪŋkəz]US[ˈblɪŋkərz]
n
A pair of small leather screens attached to a horse's bridle to prevent it from seeing sideways and being startled.
n
(British) Pieces of plastic or other material attached to the sides of a vehicle's windshield to help keep off rain, sun, or snow.
n
(figurative) A narrow or limited viewpoint that prevents someone from understanding the full situation.
Morpheme Breakdown
blink
er
s
blink
sense
er
sense
s
sense
Etymology
The word "blinkers" originates from the verb "blink," which in its older senses meant to shut the eyes briefly or to make something gleam or obscure it. The "-er" suffix forms an agent noun, creating "blinker" to denote something that causes blinking or obscures vision. Originally applied to the leather flaps on a horse's bridle that limit its peripheral vision to prevent distraction, the term's logic evolved from the action of obscuring sight. This literal meaning was later extended metaphorically to describe anything that imposes a narrow or limited perspective on a person.
Analysis
Structure: blink (sense) + er (sense) + s (sense)
- blink: From Middle English blenken, of Germanic origin, related to Middle Dutch blinken 'to shine'. In this compound, it carries the sense of 'to shut the eyes' or 'to obscure vision'.
- er: A Germanic agent noun suffix, indicating 'a thing or person that performs the action'.
- s: A plural suffix, indicating more than one.
Examples
The racehorse wore blinkers to help it focus on the track ahead.
He drove with the car's blinkers extended during the heavy downpour.
His political ideology acted as blinkers, preventing him from seeing the merits of the opposing argument.