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hop·per

(hŏpər)

1. One that hops.

a. A usually funnel-shaped container in which materials, such as grain or coal, are stored in readiness for dispensation.

b. A freight car with a door in the floor through which materials are unloaded.

c. A box in which a bill is placed pending formal introduction before a legislature.

d. Informal A place in which something is held in readiness: a studio with many potential blockbusters in the hopper.

[Sense 2, from the shaking or hopping motion of grain hoppers as grain passed through them to the mill.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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