The word 'tipster' is a relatively modern English compound, emerging in the late 19th century from the slang term 'tip', meaning a piece of confidential or predictive information, particularly regarding horse racing. This slang 'tip' is itself believed to be a figurative extension from the verb 'to tip', meaning to give a small, discrete gift or gratuity, transferring the sense of a private, advantageous transfer. The agent suffix '-ster', of Old English origin, was appended to create a label for the person who provides such information. Thus, the literal logic of the morphemes combines 'a piece of privileged information' with 'one who deals in it', perfectly capturing the modern meaning of someone who offers predictions, often professionally.

Structure: tip (piece of information) + ster (person who does something) - tip: Origin: Middle English (meaning 'end, point'); later slang for 'private information'. Role: Core semantic root. - ster: Origin: Old English '-estre', a feminine agent suffix; evolved into a general agent suffix. Role: Agentive suffix forming nouns.