bomber

the word 'bomber' is a transparent english compound formed by attaching the agentive suffix '-er' to the noun 'bomb'. the root 'bomb' entered english in the late 17th century from french bombe, which itself came from italian bomba. the italian term is believed to be onomatopoeic, imitating the hollow, booming sound of an explosion. the suffix '-er', of old english origin, is one of the most productive in the language for creating agent nouns. thus, the literal "one who or that which bombs" logically evolved to designate specific agents: first the aircraft developed in the early 20th century, then the individuals who perpetrate bombings, and later, by metaphorical extension, a style of jacket associated with pilots.

Structure: bomb (explosive device) + er (agent suffix) bomb: from italian bomba, likely of onomatopoeic origin, imitating the sound of an explosion. functions as the core semantic root. er: from old english -ere, a germanic agent noun suffix denoting a person or thing that performs an action. functions as a derivational suffix.