hanger
UK[ˈhæŋə(r)]US[ˈhæŋər]
n
a curved piece of wood, plastic, or metal with a hook at the top, used for hanging clothes.
n
a person who hangs something.
n
a bracket or support from which something is hung.
Morpheme Breakdown
hang
er
hang
to suspend
er
agent/instrument suffix
Etymology
the word 'hanger' is a transparent english compound formed from the native germanic verb 'hang' and the agentive suffix '-er'. the verb 'hang' itself descends from proto-germanic 'hanhaną', which has cognates across germanic languages and is traced back to the proto-indo-European root 'kenk-', meaning 'to hang, to be suspended'. the suffix '-er' is one of the most productive in english for creating nouns that denote agents or instruments. thus, the literal construction 'one who or that which hangs' logically evolved to specify both a person in certain trades (e.g., a paperhanger) and, most commonly, the everyday tool designed for hanging garments.
Analysis
Structure: hang (to suspend) + er (agent/instrument suffix)
hang: from old english 'hōn' (to hang), a germanic root. functional role: verbal root conveying the core action of suspension.
er: from old english '-ere', an agent noun suffix. functional role: suffix that forms nouns denoting a person who performs an action or an instrument used for that action.
Examples
she took her coat off the wooden hanger in the closet.
the exhibition featured the work of a renowned wallpaper hanger.
the aircraft was secured in the maintenance hanger overnight.