Dunker

/ˈdʌŋkɚ/ noun

Definition

Someone who dips something into a liquid; also, a basketball player who dunks, or a member of the Dunkard sect.

Etymology

From the verb 'dunk' (to dip into liquid) plus agent suffix '-er'. 'Dunk' itself comes from German/Dutch 'dunken' (to dip). In basketball slang, it emerged in the 1960s.

Kelly Says

The word 'dunker' completely changed meaning within 50 years—from a religious sect member to a basketball move—showing how sports terminology can overshadow and eventually replace older historical meanings.

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