cooler
UK[ˈkuːlə(r)]US[ˈkuːlər]
n
a container or device for keeping things cool, especially food or drinks
n
a drink, especially a long drink of wine, fruit juice, and soda water, served cold
n
(informal) a prison or prison cell
Morpheme Breakdown
cool
er
cool
adjective
er
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'cooler' is a transparent english compound formed from the adjective 'cool' and the agentive suffix '-er'. the adjective 'cool' originates from old english 'col', which descends from proto-germanic kōluz, itself from the proto-indo-european root gel-, meaning 'cold' or 'to freeze'. the suffix '-er' is one of the most productive in english, used to form nouns denoting an agent or instrument. thus, the literal construction 'cooler' logically evolved to mean 'something that makes things cool'. its application expanded from general cooling devices to specific containers for food and drink, and later acquired a slang meaning for a prison, likely due to the association of a jail cell with a cold, unwelcoming place.
Analysis
Structure: cool (adjective) + er (noun suffix)
cool (from old english 'col', of germanic origin; related to dutch 'koel' and german 'kühl', meaning moderately cold). er (from old english '-ere', an agent noun suffix, indicating a person or thing that performs an action or has a specific function).
Examples
we packed the beer in a cooler for the picnic.
on a hot day, nothing beats a refreshing wine cooler.
the suspect spent the night in the station's cooler.