burger English · revision 10275

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=clipping|attested=1939|origins=en hamburger}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈbɜːɡə/ ''(UK)''; /ˈbɝ.ɡɚ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a shortening of [[hamburger]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) first in American English.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The element -burger was quickly abstracted from hamburger, even though a hamburger is not a burger of ham, in words like cheeseburger (1938) and beefburger (1940),^(Barnhart 1988) and by 1941 it was recognized as a distinct combining form.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A hamburger: 1939 in Barnhart, Etymonline and the OED;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Merriam-Webster dates it to 1937.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The OED notes that burger was also used as a term for a sandwich of other ingredients,^(OED 1989) and the SOED lists combinations such as beefburger, cheeseburger and nutburger.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1938 – cheeseburger.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1939 – burger.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1940 – beefburger.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1941 – -burger as a combining form.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[hamburger]]: a bun with a cooked patty of minced beef and often cheese, onion, lettuce or sauces.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A similar sandwich with another filling, as in ''veggie burger''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[baconburger]]

+ * [[beefburger]]

+ * [[hamburger]]

+ * [[veggie burger]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cheeseburger]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}