Etymologically
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winner

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈwɪn.ə/, US /ˈwɪn.ɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is an agent noun formed from win and the suffix -er.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who gains something by effort, especially one who earns a living: 1352 in the OED.[4] Etymonline dates the sense “one who earns or produces wealth” to the late 14th century, and finds the word as a surname about 1200.[2]

Semantic evolution

An unscrupulous profiteer was a winner in the mid-15th century.[2] One who triumphs in a contest or game is from the mid-15th century,[2] 1456 in the OED.[4] A horse or competitor expected to win, and anything sure of success, are later senses.[5] Winner-take-all is attested from 1901[2] and in the OED from 1969.[4] In Scottish curling the winner is the stone nearest the tee.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – as a surname.[2]
  • 1352 – one who gains something.[4]
  • 1456 – the victor in a contest.[4]
  • mid-15th century – a profiteer.[2]
  • 1901 – winner-take-all.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person, team or animal that wins a contest or race.
  2. (informal) Someone or something that is very successful or likely to succeed.
  3. A goal or point that decides a game.

Word family

  • breadwinner
  • cowinner
  • nonwinner
  • prizewinner
  • win
  • winning
  • loser

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)