the word 'windsurfer' is a modern english compound, originating in the late 20th century to describe the new sport of windsurfing. it combines 'wind', the old english term for moving air, with 'surf', which entered english via hindi and originally described the clean, clear line of a breaking wave, later evolving to mean the act of riding such waves. the agent suffix '-er' is appended to denote either the person who performs the activity or, by extension, the equipment used for it. thus, the term literally and logically means "one who (or that which) surfs using the wind."

Structure: wind (air in motion) + surf (ride waves) + er (agent suffix) wind (old english, noun, meaning moving air); surf (from sanskrit 'svar' via hindi 'sāf' meaning clean/pure, later english meaning waves breaking on shore, verb meaning to ride waves); er (old english, agent noun suffix, meaning one who does something).