peephole
UK[ˈpiːphəʊl]US[ˈpiːphoʊl]
n
a small hole in a door or wall through which one can look, typically from the inside, to see who is outside.
n
any small opening designed for looking through.
Morpheme Breakdown
peep
hole
peep
look
hole
opening
Etymology
the word 'peephole' is a transparent english compound, formed from two native english elements. the first element, 'peep', is an onomatopoeic verb from the late middle english period, imitative of the chirp of a small bird, which semantically shifted to describe the quick, furtive, or secretive glance such a sound might accompany. the second element, 'hole', derives from the old english hol, meaning a hollow place or opening, a concept with proto-germanic and ultimately proto-indo-european roots relating to concealment and covered spaces. when combined, the literal "hole for peeping" perfectly captures the object's function, evolving from a simple descriptive term to the standard name for a security and viewing fixture in doors and walls.
Analysis
Structure: peep (look) + hole (opening)
peep (origin: middle english pepen, likely imitative; functional role: verb root meaning to look quickly or furtively). hole (origin: old english hol; functional role: noun meaning an opening or hollow place).
Examples
she looked through the peephole before opening the apartment door.
the old castle door had a small, rusty peephole for guards to observe visitors.
he covered the peephole with a piece of tape for privacy.