cheeseburger
UK[ˈtʃiːzbɜːɡə(r)]US[ˈtʃiːzbɜːrɡər]
n
a hamburger with a slice of cheese on top of the meat.
Morpheme Breakdown
cheese
burger
cheese
burger
Etymology
the word 'cheeseburger' is a transparent compound formed in american english during the 20th century. its first element, 'cheese', originates from old english 'cēse', which has germanic roots and is related to latin 'caseus'. the second element, 'burger', is a shortening of 'hamburger', which denotes a cooked ground meat patty. the 'hamburger' itself is named after the german city of hamburg, associated with a style of minced beef steak. the compound 'cheeseburger' thus logically describes the specific variant of a hamburger that is distinguished by the addition of cheese.
Analysis
Structure: cheese + burger
cheese (old english, noun, meaning the dairy product) + burger (american english, clipped form of 'hamburger', itself from hamburg steak)
Examples
he ordered a cheeseburger with extra pickles.
the classic cheeseburger is a staple of american fast-food menus.
she prefers a cheeseburger over a plain hamburger.