hangman
UK[ˈhæŋmən]US[ˈhæŋmən]
n
A game for two or more players in which one player thinks of a word and the others try to guess it by suggesting letters. Each wrong guess results in a part of a drawing of a man being hanged, and the game is lost if the drawing is completed.
n
A person, especially a public official, whose job is to hang criminals.
Morpheme Breakdown
hang
man
hang
to suspend by the neck
man
adult male human
Etymology
The word 'hangman' is a transparent compound formed from two native English elements. The first element, 'hang', derives from the Old English verb for suspension, which early on acquired the grimly specific judicial meaning of executing someone by a rope around the neck. The second element, 'man', is the common Germanic noun for a person. Literally meaning "a man who hangs," it originally referred solely to the public executioner. The modern children's guessing game, first recorded in the late 19th century, derives its name from the stylized drawing of a stick-figure man being hanged, which serves as the penalty counter for incorrect guesses, thus metaphorically transferring the term from the real-world actor to a pictorial representation of his act.
Analysis
Structure: hang (to suspend by the neck) + man (adult male human)
- hang: From Old English hōn (to hang, suspend), of Germanic origin. In this compound, it carries the specific sense of execution by hanging.
- man: From Old English mann (human being, person), of Germanic origin. In this compound, it refers to the human figure being drawn or the person who performs the execution.
Examples
We used to play hangman on long car trips to pass the time.
In historical accounts, the hangman was often a feared and solitary figure.
She guessed the last letter correctly, saving the hangman from being fully drawn.