striker
striker
UK[ˈstraɪkə]US[ˈstraɪkər]
n
a worker who refuses to work as a protest
n
a player in soccer whose main role is to attack and try to score goals
n
the part of a device that hits something, such as the hammer in a clock or the piece that hits the primer in a gun
Morpheme Breakdown
strike
er
strike
to hit, to stop work
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'striker' is a transparent english formation, combining the verb 'strike' with the agentive suffix '-er'. the verb 'strike' itself has a long history, evolving from old english strīcan, which meant "to go, move, pass over lightly, stroke." this broad sense narrowed and specialized over time, developing meanings related to hitting, as well as the act of ceasing work as a form of protest (from the notion of "striking" or removing one's labor). by adding the suffix '-er', which denotes a person or thing that performs an action, 'striker' logically came to mean one who strikes, whether on a picket line, on the soccer field, or as a mechanical component.
Analysis
Structure: strike (to hit, to stop work) + er (agent suffix)
strike (from old english strīcan, meaning "to go, move, stroke"), er (from old english -ere, an agent noun suffix of germanic origin)
Examples
the factory hired replacement workers during the strike, but the strikers remained on the picket line.
the team's star striker scored a hat-trick in the final match.
when the clock's striker hit the bell, it chimed midnight.