The word 'tickertape' is a compound noun formed from two English words in the late 19th century. 'Ticker' derives from the onomatopoeic verb 'tick', imitating the sound made by early telegraphic stock price printers. 'Tape' has a long history from Old English, originally meaning a narrow strip of cloth, later extended to paper. The compound literally means "the tape produced by a ticking machine." Its celebratory use originated in New York City in 1886, when office workers spontaneously threw the waste paper from their stock tickers out of windows during a parade, creating a new tradition from a byproduct of financial technology.

Structure: ticker (machine) + tape (strip) - ticker: Origin: English (from the verb 'tick'). Functional role: The core element referring to the telegraphic machine that made a ticking sound as it printed. - tape: Origin: Old English 'tæppe' (a narrow strip of cloth). Functional role: The second element describing the physical form of the medium, a long, narrow strip.