late-breaking

The compound adjective "late-breaking" is a modern journalistic term formed within English by combining existing native elements. The word "late" carries its core sense of occurring after an expected time, while "break" in this context draws from its figurative use for news suddenly emerging or becoming public, as in "news breaks." The suffix "-ing" converts the verbal action into a descriptive adjective. Thus, the literal logic is "news that is emerging or happening just now, after the expected or regular time," capturing the urgency and immediacy of freshly reported events.

Structure: late (occurring after the usual time) + break (to interrupt or emerge) + ing (adjective-forming suffix) - late: From Old English læt (slow, tardy), of Germanic origin. Functions as an adjective/adverb indicating delay or recentness. - break: From Old English brecan (to shatter, burst forth), of Germanic origin. Functions as a verb root here, implying the emergence or occurrence of news. - ing: From Old English -ende, -unge, forming present participles and verbal adjectives. Functions as a suffix to create an adjective from the compound verb phrase "to break late."