Other forms: breadwinners
A breadwinner is the family member who earns the money. The main breadwinner, sole breadwinner, become the breadwinner.
The word carries an old assumption about one earner supporting a household, which is why it sounds dated when applied to two working parents. The win in it means earn, which is an older sense of the verb. Note that Dutch and Frisian have the same compound for a livelihood.
1nounbreadwinnerThe family member who earns the money.
“After her husband lost his job, she became the family's breadwinner.”
breadwinner is an earner.
Bread plus winner, where win means to earn. Dutch broodwinning, a livelihood, is the same compound.
From bread + winner, where win = earn. Compare West Frisian breawinning (“livelihood”) literally “bread-winning”, Dutch broodwinning (“livelihood”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA