Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
-ee (suffix)
The -ee suffix added to a verb creates a noun meaning “one who does, undergoes, or is an exemplar of the action indicated by that verb”: retire/retiree; escape/escapee; trust/trustee; stand/standee; employ/employee. The suffix is frequently used in humorous nonce word coinages built on this pattern: if the person who cheats is a cheater, for example, the person cheated must be the cheatee.
