jawbreaker
UK[ˈdʒɔːˌbreɪkə]US[ˈdʒɑːˌbreɪkər]
n
a very large, hard, round candy.
n
a word that is very long and difficult to pronounce.
Morpheme Breakdown
jaw
break
er
jaw
break
er
Etymology
the word 'jawbreaker' is a vivid english compound formed from native germanic roots. it literally describes "a thing that breaks jaws," a humorous exaggeration coined in the 19th century to characterize an extremely hard piece of candy. the logic is transparently metaphorical, using the familiar concepts of the jaw and breaking to hyperbolically suggest the candy's formidable hardness. this same metaphorical construction was later applied humorously to describe long, complex words that are figuratively difficult for the mouth to articulate.
Analysis
Structure: jaw + break + er
- jaw (from middle english 'jawe', of uncertain origin, possibly old french 'joue' meaning cheek). functional role: noun base, the anatomical part.
- break (from old english 'brecan', meaning to separate into parts violently). functional role: verb base, the action.
- er (from old english '-ere', an agent noun suffix). functional role: suffix, indicating a person or thing that performs the action.
Examples
the children saved their pennies to buy the colorful jawbreakers at the corner store.
"antidisestablishmentarianism" is a classic example of a linguistic jawbreaker.
he challenged his friend to a contest to see who could finish the giant jawbreaker first.