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sleeper

/ˈsliːpə(ɹ)/ noun

In Latin: dormītor Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sleeper at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A rester who is sleeping.
  2. A spy or saboteur or terrorist planted in an enemy country who lives there as a law-abiding citizen until activated by a prearranged signal.
  3. An unexpected achiever of success.
    the winner was a true sleeper--no one expected him to get it

Origin

From Middle English sleper, equivalent to sleep + -er.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)