The word 'weeper' is a transparent English compound formed from the verb 'weep' and the agentive suffix '-er'. The verb 'weep' itself has a deep Germanic lineage, tracing back to the Proto-Germanic 'wōpijaną', which carried the core meaning of crying out or lamenting. This sense of vocalized grief is preserved in the primary modern definition of 'weeper' as a professional mourner. Over time, the logic of the construction extended metaphorically to objects, leading to secondary meanings for anything that causes tears or, in engineering, a structure that allows water to 'weep' or drain slowly.

Structure: weep (to cry) + er (agent suffix) 'Weep' originates from Old English 'wēpan', meaning to cry or lament, of Germanic origin. The suffix '-er' is an agentive suffix from Old English '-ere', used to form nouns denoting a person or thing that performs an action.