The compound word 'ticker-tape' is a distinctly modern creation from the late 19th century, born from the technology of financial communication. Its first element, 'ticker', derives from the onomatopoeic verb 'tick', imitating the sound of a clock or telegraph, combined with the agent suffix '-er' to name the stock price printing machine. The second element, 'tape', has a much older lineage, tracing back to Old English 'tæppe' meaning a narrow strip of cloth. The literal combination, a 'strip for the ticker machine', described the paper ribbon it printed on. The celebratory meaning emerged in the early 20th century in New York City, where the paper strips from financial offices were spontaneously thrown from skyscraper windows onto parades below, transforming a utilitarian object into a symbol of jubilation.

Structure: ticker (device) + tape (strip) - ticker: Origin: English (from the verb 'tick'). Functional role: A noun-forming agent suffix '-er' added to the verb 'tick', referring to a machine that makes a ticking sound. - tape: Origin: Old English 'tæppe' (a narrow strip of cloth). Functional role: A noun denoting a long, narrow strip of material.