Wiktionary

-er

See also: Appendix:Variations of "er"

English

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Etymology 1

edit
    Etymology tree
    Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz
    Proto-West Germanic *-ārī
    Old English -ere
    Middle English -er
    English -er

    Inherited from Middle English -ere, -er, from Middle English -ere, from Old English -ere, from Proto-West Germanic *-ārī, from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, usually thought to have been borrowed from Latin -ārius. However, Gąsiorowski suggests that *-ārijaz is a native formation; he derives it from earlier *-azrijaz, which he etymologises as a zero-grade form of *-sōr suffixed with *-ih₂, creating a suffix *-sr-ih₂ for forming feminine agent nouns, which was then masculinised by attaching *-ós. Cognate with Saterland Frisian -er, West Frisian -er, Dutch -er, German Low German -er, German -er, Danish -er, Swedish -are, Icelandic -ari.

    Compare the synonymous but unrelated Old French -or, -eor (Anglo-Norman variant -our), from Latin -(ā)tor, from Proto-Indo-European *-tōr.

    Alternative forms

    edit
    • -'er (following an abbreviation, or sometimes following a number)

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    2. (added to verbs) A person or thing that does an action indicated by the root verb; used to form an agent noun.
      Antonym: -ee
      ‎read + ‎-er → ‎reader
      ‎cook + ‎-er → ‎cooker
      ‎compute + ‎-er → ‎computer
      ‎run + ‎-er → ‎runner
      ‎toast + ‎-er → ‎toaster
      ‎swim + ‎-er → ‎swimmer
      ‎do good + ‎-er → ‎do-gooder
    4. (added to verbs, informal) A person or thing to which the root verb is done or can be done satisfactorily.
      ‎look + ‎-er → ‎looker (“an attractive person”)
      ‎keep + ‎-er → ‎keeper (“a person or thing worth keeping”)
    6. (added to nouns, chiefly denoting occupations) A person whose occupation is the root noun; (more broadly, occasionally with adjectives) a person characterized by the root.
      ‎astrology + ‎-er → ‎astrologer
      ‎baby boom + ‎-er → ‎baby boomer
      ‎conlang + ‎-er → ‎conlanger
      ‎cricket + ‎-er → ‎cricketer
      ‎trumpet + ‎-er → ‎trumpeter
      ‎zine + ‎-er → ‎ziner
    8. (added to numbers, measurements or nouns denoting quantified sets) A person or thing to which a certain number or measurement applies.
      ‎six + ‎-er → ‎sixer
      ‎six foot + ‎-er → ‎six-footer
      ‎three-wheel + ‎-er → ‎three-wheeler
      ‎first grade + ‎-er → ‎first grader
    10. (slang, chiefly entertainment, with few limitations) Used to form nouns shorter than more formal synonyms.
      ‎percent + ‎-er → ‎percenter (“commission agent”)
      ‎one hand + ‎-er → ‎one-hander (“one-man show”)
      ‎oat + ‎-er → ‎oater (“a Western-themed movie”)
    12. (added to nouns) A person who is associated with, or supports a particular theory, doctrine, or political movement.
      ‎birth + ‎-er → ‎birther
      ‎flat earth + ‎-er → ‎flat-earther
      ‎truth + ‎-er → ‎truther
      ‎woke + ‎-er → ‎woker
    14. (added to nouns or occasionally adjectives, generally) A thing that is related in some way to the root, such as by location or purpose.
      ‎bacon + ‎-er → ‎baconer (“pig raised for bacon”)
      ‎chocolate chip + ‎-er → ‎chocolate chipper (“cookie containing chocolate chips”)
      ‎sternwheel + ‎-er → ‎sternwheeler (“vessel driven by a sternwheel”)
    Usage notes
    edit
    • The suffix may be used to form an agent noun of many verbs. In compound or phrasal verbs, the suffix usually follows the verb component (as in passerby and runner-up) but is sometimes added at the end, irrespective of the position of the verb component (do-gooder) or is added to both components for humorous effect (washer-upper).
    • The occupational sense is often applied generally to members of a group, as in crewer (“a member of a crew”) and Z-lister (“one on the Z-list”); fans and hobbyists, as in K-popper (“a fan of K-pop”), and those who use a particular tool or instrument, as in JavaScripter (“a programmer who uses JavaScript”).
    • The entertainment slang sense is sometimes referred to as the Variety -er.
    Derived terms
    edit
    English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)
    English terms suffixed with -er (patient)
    English terms suffixed with -er (occupation)
    English terms suffixed with -er (measurement)
    English terms suffixed with -er (entertainment)
    English terms suffixed with -er (ideology)
    English terms suffixed with -er (relational)
    Translations
    edit

    The translations below are a guide only. For more precise translations, see specific words ending with this suffix.

    See also

    edit

    Etymology 2

    edit

    From Middle English -ere, from Old English -ware (suffix denoting residency or meaning "inhabitant of"), from Proto-West Germanic *-wari, from Proto-Germanic *warjaz (“defender, inhabitant”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, save, defend”).

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    2. (added to a proper noun) Suffix denoting a resident or inhabitant of (the place denoted by the proper noun); used to form a demonym.
      ‎New York + ‎-er → ‎New Yorker
      ‎London + ‎-er → ‎Londoner
      ‎Dublin + ‎-er → ‎Dubliner
      ‎New England + ‎-er → ‎New Englander
    3. Suffix denoting residency in or around a place, district, area, or region.
      ‎island + ‎-er → ‎islander
      ‎highland + ‎-er → ‎highlander
      ‎eastend + ‎-er → ‎eastender
    Derived terms
    edit
    English terms suffixed with -er (inhabitant)
    Translations
    edit

    Etymology 3

    edit

    From Middle English -re, -er, from Old English -ru (plural suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-izō (plural suffix). Cognate with Dutch -er (plural ending), German -er (plural ending). See also -ren.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    1. (obsolete, no longer productive) Suffix used to form the plural of a small number of English nouns.
      childer, calver, lamber, linder ("loins")
    Derived terms
    edit

    Etymology 4

    edit

    From Middle English -er, representing various noun-suffixes in Old French and Anglo-Norman, variously -er, -ier and -ieur, from Latin -aris, -arius, -atorium. As a productive suffix, now merged with the occupational sense of Etymology 1.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    1. Person or thing connected with.
      ‎bottle + ‎-er → ‎butler

    See also

    edit

    Etymology 5

    edit

    From Middle English -ere, from Old English -ra, from Proto-West Germanic *iʀō, *-ōʀō, from Proto-Germanic *-izô or Proto-Germanic *-ōzô (a derivative of Etymology 6, below); related to superlative -est.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    2. (added to certain adjectives and adverbs, now especially short ones) More; used to form the comparative.
      ‎hard + ‎-er → ‎harder
      ‎wet + ‎-er → ‎wetter
      ‎fast + ‎-er → ‎faster
      ‎strong + ‎-er → ‎stronger
    Usage notes
    edit
    • (more; used to form the comparative): Most adjectives whose comparatives are formed using the suffix -er also form their superlatives using the suffix -est.
      • Final -y preceded by a consonant becomes -i- when the suffix -er or -est is added.
        easy → easier → easiest; gray → grayer → grayest
      • When the stress is on the final (or only) syllable of the adjective, and this syllable ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is doubled when the suffix is added.
        dim → dimmer → dimmest
      • The suffixes -er and -est may be used to form the comparative and superlative of most adjectives and adverbs that have one syllable and some that have two or more syllables.
        hot → hotter → hottest; fast → faster → fastest; funny → funnier → funniest; sugary → sugarier → sugariest
      • Some adjectives and adverbs form their comparatives and superlatives irregularly:
        good → better → best; far → farther → farthest, or far → further → furthest, depending on the meaning
      • The comparatives and superlatives of other adverbs and adjectives that have two or more syllables, and adjectives that are participles are formed with more and most.
        rigid → more rigid → most rigid; enormous → more enormous → most enormous; burnt → more burnt → most burnt; freezing → more freezing → most freezing
      • If in doubt, use more to form the comparative and most to form the superlative; for example, thirsty may become thirstier and thirstiest, but more thirsty and most thirsty are also acceptable.
    • Words ending with -ng are pronounced /ŋ/ by most dialects instead of /ŋɡ/. However, when -er or -est is added to an adjective, the /ɡ/ appears (in most dialects).
      long (/lɒŋ/) → longer (/ˈlɒŋ.ɡə(ɹ)/); young (/jʌŋ/) → youngest (/ˈjʌŋ.ɡɪst/)
    Translations
    edit

    Etymology 6

    edit

    From Middle English -er, from Old English -or, from Proto-West Germanic *-ōʀ, Proto-Germanic *-ōz.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    1. (added to certain adverbs) More; used to form the comparative.
    Translations
    edit

    Etymology 7

    edit

    From Middle English -eren, -ren, -rien, from Old English -erian, -rian, from Proto-West Germanic *-rōn, *-iʀōn, from Proto-Germanic *-rōną or *-izōną. Cognate with West Frisian -erje, Dutch -eren, German -eren, -ern, Danish -re, Swedish -ra.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    2. (added to a verb or imitative sound) Frequently; used to form frequentative verbs.
      twitter, clamber, bicker, mutter, wander, flutter, flicker, slither, smother, sputter
    Synonyms
    edit
    • (used to form frequentative): -le
    Translations
    edit
    See also
    edit

    Etymology 8

    edit

    From Middle English -er, from Anglo-Norman -er, Old French -er, the infinitive verbal ending.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    2. (chiefly law, added to a verb) Instance of (the verbal action); used to form nouns from verbs.
      ‎disclaim + ‎-er → ‎disclaimer
      ‎remit + ‎-er → ‎remitter
      ‎misname + ‎-er → ‎misnomer
      ‎rebut + ‎-er → ‎rebutter
      ‎attain + ‎-er → ‎attainder
    Derived terms
    edit
    English terms suffixed with -er (action noun)

    Etymology 9

    edit

    From Middle English -er, -ere (diminutive suffix). Compare -el.

    Suffix

    edit

    -er

    1. (added to a verb or noun) Used to form diminutives.
      ‎shive + ‎-er → ‎shiver
      ‎slive + ‎-er → ‎sliver
      ‎splint + ‎-er → ‎splinter

    Etymology 10

    edit
       
      English Wikipedia has an article on:
      Wikipedia

      Attested in the UK since the 19th century. Originally Rugby School slang. Later adopted by Oxford University and then wider British society.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. (originally school slang) Used to form slang or colloquial equivalents of words.
        ‎association + ‎-er → ‎soccer (“association football”)
        ‎football + ‎-er → ‎footer (“association football”)
        ‎rugby + ‎-er → ‎rugger
        ‎Radcliffe + ‎-er → ‎Radder (“a building at Oxford University”)
      Derived terms
      edit
      English terms suffixed with -er (Oxford)
      edit
      Translations
      edit

      Etymology 11

      edit

      From Middle English -er, from Old English -er, -or, from Proto-Germanic *-raz. Compare -le.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. (now chiefly dialectal) A suffix creating adjectives from verbs, indicating aptitude, proneness, or tendency toward a specified action:
        ‎clive + ‎-er → ‎cliver (“apt to cleave or adhere to, tenacious, expert as seizing”)
        ‎slip + ‎-er → ‎slipper (“tending to make slip, slippery”)
        ‎wake + ‎-er → ‎waker (“tending to wake, watchful”)
      Synonyms
      edit

      Etymology 12

      edit

      From Mandarin -兒／-儿 (-ér).

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. (Chinese literature) Junior, child, younger person. (Attached to a name, usually one syllable of the given name.)
        Li’er said hello to his father.
        • 1979, Women of China‎[1], page 44:
          Yue’er began to laugh again and her tears shimmered like dew on a lotus leaf disturbed by a breeze. Then we heard a sound. It was Man’er.
        • 2002 [1934], Xiao Hong, “The Field of Life and Death”, in Howard Goldblatt, transl., The Field of Life and Death & Tales of Hulan River, →ISBN, page 32:
          The fish was laid out on the table, but Ping’er had not come back, nor had his father.
        • 2014 [1959], Zhong Lihe, “The Little Ridge”, in T. M. McClellan, transl., From the Old Country: Stories and Sketches of China and Taiwan, →ISBN, page 202:
          Ying’er was not yet three years old. Li’er had always been the one to play with her or to carry her places on his back.
      Usage notes
      edit
      • Especially in Mandarin Chinese literature that has been translated into English, the suffix is often left untranslated in unaccented pinyin. This practice is similar to the use of -kun / -chan / -san or sensei in English-language Japanese fiction.
      • Often, an apostrophe (used to mark syllable boundaries in pinyin) is inserted before the hyphen (as in Li'er), though it can also be omitted (Yinger).
      Coordinate terms
      edit

      See also

      edit

      References

      edit

      Anagrams

      edit

      Afrikaans

      edit

      Etymology

      edit

      From Dutch -er.

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. -er

      Bavarian

      edit

      Etymology

      edit

      From Middle High German -er, from Old High German -ari, from Proto-West Germanic *-ārī. Cognates include German -er and Luxembourgish -er.

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. Used to form agent nouns from verbs; -er

      Derived terms

      edit
      Bavarian terms suffixed with -er

      Breton

      edit

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. person or thing that (does the action indicated by the root); used to form an agent noun.
        ‎brezhoneg (“Breton (language)”) + ‎-er → ‎brezhoneger (“Breton-speaker”)
        ‎c'hoari (“game; to play”) + ‎-er → ‎c'hoarier (“player, actor”)
        ‎tredan (“electricity”) + ‎-er → ‎tredaner (“electrician”)

      Derived terms

      edit
      Breton terms suffixed with -er

      Catalan

      edit

      Etymology

      edit

      Inherited from Latin -ārius. Compare the borrowed doublet -ari.

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ers)

      1. forms nouns meaning the location or object where something is usually found
        ‎vespa (“wasp”) + ‎-er → ‎vesper (“wasp nest”)
      2. forms nouns meaning a plant which is cultivated to produce something
        ‎garrofa (“carob”) + ‎-er → ‎garrofer (“carob tree”)
      3. forms nouns meaning the purpose of something or an object used for that purpose
        ‎tovallola (“towel”) + ‎-er → ‎tovalloler (“towel rail”)

      Usage notes

      edit
      • The equivalent suffix -era can be used to form feminine nouns with these meanings, but usually only the masculine or feminine form will be found in Catalan.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -era, masculine plural -ers, feminine plural -eres)

      1. forms nouns and adjectives referring to an inhabitant of somewhere
        ‎Brasil (“Brazil”) + ‎-er → ‎brasiler (“Brazilian”)
      2. forms nouns and adjectives referring to engaging in a profession
        ‎camió (“truck”) + ‎-er → ‎camioner (“truck driver”)
      3. forms nouns and adjectives referring to being prone to some activity or characteristic
        ‎mentida (“lie”) + ‎-er → ‎mentider (“liar, deceptive”)
      4. forms relational adjectives
        ‎llet (“milk”) + ‎-er → ‎lleter (“milk [relational adjective], dairy”)
        ‎pel·lícula (“film”) + ‎-er → ‎pel·liculer (“film [relational adjective], filmic, cinematic”)

      Usage notes

      edit
      • Because these senses are used to form adjectives of two forms or nouns referring to animate objects, both the masculine and feminine forms will be found in Catalan, with the lemma entry found at the masculine form.

      See also

      edit

      Derived terms

      edit
      Catalan terms suffixed with -er

      References

      edit

      Chuukese

      edit

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. (added to possessive nouns) their
      2. (added to verbs as an indirect object) them
      edit
      Chuukese possessive determiners
      Small objects, concepts Large objects, living things Suffix
      Singular First person ai nei -ei
      Second person omw, om noum -om
      Third person an noun -an
      Plural First person äm (exclusive)
      ach (inclusive)      		 nöu̇m (exclusive)
      nöüch (inclusive)      		 -em (exclusive)
      -ach (inclusive)
      Second person ämi, ami noumi -emi
      Third person ar nour -er

      Danish

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. Forms agent nouns from verbs, with the sense "someone or something that [verb]s".
      2. Forms plural forms of many nouns.
      3. Forms the present tense of many verbs.
      4. Forms demonyms.
        ‎Berlin + ‎-er → ‎berliner
        ‎Paris + ‎-er → ‎pariser
      5. Forms informal action nouns from verbs.
      6. (especially definite) Forms informal abbreviations of nouns, with elision.
        ‎hotdog + ‎-er → ‎hotter
        ‎fjernsyn (“television”) + ‎-er → ‎fjerner
      7. Forms a piece of currency from numbers.
        ‎fem (“five”) + ‎-er → ‎femmer (“fiver, five pounds/dollars/kroner/etc.”)
      8. Forms a die throw result from numbers.
        Du skal slå mindst en treer for at komme videre.
        You must throw at least a three to move on.

      Usage notes

      edit

      Senses 1 and 3 often lead to heteronymic pairs. For example, from løbe (“run”) [ˈløːb̥ə] comes løber (“runs”) [ˈløːˀb̥ɐ] (verb form) and løber (“runner”) [ˈløːb̥ɐ] (noun), distinguished by stød.

      Derived terms

      edit
      Danish terms suffixed with -er

      Dutch

      edit

      Alternative forms

      edit

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Etymology 1

      edit

      From Old Dutch *-āri, -ere, from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, borrowed from Latin -ārius. Cognate with Dutch -aar.[1]

      Suffix

      edit

      -er m (plural -ers, feminine -ster)

      2. Forms agent nouns from verbs.
        Synonym: -aar
        ‎hoeden + ‎-er → ‎hoeder
        ‎spelen + ‎-er → ‎speler
      3. Forms nouns for a person associated with something.
        ‎schip + ‎-er → ‎schipper
      Derived terms
      edit
      Dutch terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)
      Descendants
      edit
      • Afrikaans: -er

      Etymology 2

      edit

      From Old Dutch *-āri, -ere, from Proto-Germanic *warjaz.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      2. Forms nouns denoting male inhabitants or residents of a place.
        Een Amsterdammer
        A (male) inhabitant of Amsterdam
        Synonym: -aar
      3. Formings adjectives denoting something originating from a place.
        Het Groninger museum
        The museum of Groningen
        Synonym: -s
      Antonyms
      edit
      • (antonym(s) of “male inhabitant”): -se (“female inhabitant”)
      Derived terms
      edit
      Dutch terms suffixed with -er (inhabitant)

      Etymology 3

      edit

      From Old Dutch -iro, -oro, from Proto-Germanic *-izô, *-ōzô.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. Forms the comparative form of adjectives.
      Derived terms
      edit
      Category Dutch adjective comparative forms not found

      Etymology 4

      edit

      From Middle Dutch -er, from Old Dutch -ro, from Proto-West Germanic *-eʀā, from Proto-Germanic *-aizōz.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. (archaic, except in fixed expressions) Used to form the (strong) feminine singular genitive.
        onverrichter zake ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
        de schoonheid ener vrouw ― the beauty of a woman
      2. (archaic, except in fixed expressions) Used to form the (strong) feminine singular dative.
        te goeder trouw ― in good faith
      Usage notes
      edit
      • Mostly encountered vestigially, such as in fixed expressions; see for example the descendants at -wijs.

      References

      edit
      1. ^ A. van Loey, "Schönfeld's Historische Grammatica van het Nederlands", Zutphen, 8. druk, 1970, →ISBN; § 175

      French

      edit

      Etymology 1

      edit

      Mainly from Latin -āre; however, the descendants of some Latin -ēre verbs also became -er verbs in French.

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
      Usage notes
      edit
      • Many of these verbs are directly descended from Latin, rather than from stem + suffix.
      • In newly formed verbs, this suffix may be preceded by a euphonic consonant /t/ after a base ending in an oral vowel to avoid hiatus. In verbs formed from bases ending in nasal vowels, /n/ is inserted and the nasal vowel is denasalized:
        ‎agio (“agio”) + ‎-er → ‎agioter (“to speculate”)
        ‎blabla (“chit-chat”) + ‎-er → ‎blablater (“to chit-chat”)
        ‎bourdon (“bumblebee; drone”) + ‎-er → ‎bourdonner (“to buzz, drone”)
      Conjugation
      edit
      Conjugation of -er (see also Appendix:French verbs)
      infinitive simple -er
      compound avoir + past participle
      present participle or gerund1 simple -ant
      /ɑ̃/
      compound ayant + past participle
      past participle -é
      /e/
      singular plural
      first second third first second third
      indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
      (simple
      tenses)             		present -e
      /ə/       		-es
      /ə/       		-e
      /ə/       		-ons
      /ɔ̃/       		-ez
      /e/       		-ent
      /ə/
      imperfect -ais
      /ɛ/       		-ais
      /ɛ/       		-ait
      /ɛ/       		-ions
      /jɔ̃/       		-iez
      /je/       		-aient
      /ɛ/
      past historic2 -ai
      /e/       		-as
      /a/       		-a
      /a/       		-âmes
      /am/       		-âtes
      /at/       		-èrent
      /ɛʁ/
      future -erai
      /ə.ʁe/       		-eras
      /ə.ʁa/       		-era
      /ə.ʁa/       		-erons
      /ə.ʁɔ̃/       		-erez
      /ə.ʁe/       		-eront
      /ə.ʁɔ̃/
      conditional -erais
      /ə.ʁɛ/       		-erais
      /ə.ʁɛ/       		-erait
      /ə.ʁɛ/       		-erions
      /ə.ʁjɔ̃/       		-eriez
      /ə.ʁje/       		-eraient
      /ə.ʁɛ/
      (compound
      tenses)             		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
      pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
      past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
      future perfect future of avoir + past participle
      conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
      subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
      (simple
      tenses)             		present -e
      /ə/       		-es
      /ə/       		-e
      /ə/       		-ions
      /jɔ̃/       		-iez
      /je/       		-ent
      /ə/
      imperfect2 -asse
      /as/       		-asses
      /as/       		-ât
      /a/       		-assions
      /a.sjɔ̃/       		-assiez
      /a.sje/       		-assent
      /as/
      (compound
      tenses)             		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
      pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
      imperative – tu – nous vous –
      simple — -e
      /ə/       		— -ons
      /ɔ̃/       		-ez
      /e/       		—
      compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
      1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
      2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
      • past historic → present perfect
      • past anterior → pluperfect
      • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
      • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

      (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

      Etymology 2

      edit

      From Latin -āre.

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er m (plural -ers)

      1. forms nouns indicating the person who exercises a particular activity
        Synonym: (female equivalent) -ère
      Derived terms
      edit
      French terms suffixed with -er

      German

      edit

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Etymology 1

      edit

      From Middle High German -ære, -er, from Old High German -āri, from Proto-West Germanic *-ārī, from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, further etymology unknown but possibly from Latin -ārius.[1]

      Suffix

      edit

      -er m (strong, genitive -ers, plural -er)

      2. Forms agent nouns etc. from verbs, suffixed to the verb stem.
        ‎arbeiten (“to work”) + ‎-er → ‎Arbeiter (“worker”)
        ‎bohren (“to drill”) + ‎-er → ‎Bohrer (“drill”)
      3. Forms instance nouns from verbs.
        ‎husten (“to cough”) + ‎-er → ‎Huster (“single cough, instance of coughing”)
        ‎hüpfen (“to hop”) + ‎-er → ‎Hüpfer (“hop, instance of hopping”)
      4. Indicates something defined by a number; in the plural often all numbers with the same first digits
        ‎16 + ‎-er → ‎16er (“the 16, the 16er, e.g. a bus, a football player, etc.”)
        ‎200 + ‎-er → ‎200er (“a 200, the 200s, e.g. a 200-euro note, or the list items 200 to 299, etc.”)
        ‎1990 + ‎-er → ‎1990er (“1990s, the years 1990 to 1999”)
      Declension
      edit
      Declension of -er [masculine, strong]
      singular plural
      indef. def. noun def. noun
      nominative ein der -er die -er
      genitive eines des -ers der -er
      dative einem dem -er den -ern
      accusative einen den -er die -er
      Derived terms
      edit
      German terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)
      edit

      Etymology 2

      edit

      From Middle High German -er, a plural ending for some neuter nouns.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. Used to form the plurals of some nouns.
      Usage notes
      edit
      • The plural ending -er is used in a fairly large number of neuters (including all those in -tum) and a small number of masculines.

      Etymology 3

      edit

      From Middle High German -ære, -er, from Old High German -āri, from Proto-Germanic *warjaz.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er m (strong, genitive -ers, plural -er)

      2. Forms nouns indicating an inhabitant of a place, or a person originating from a place.
      Declension
      edit
      Declension of -er [masculine, strong]
      singular plural
      indef. def. noun def. noun
      nominative ein der -er die -er
      genitive eines des -ers der -er
      dative einem dem -er den -ern
      accusative einen den -er die -er
      Derived terms
      edit
      German terms suffixed with -er (inhabitant)

      Etymology 4

      edit

      Probably originated from the prepositioned genitive plural of etymology 3 above, e.g.: der Berliner Pfannkuchen = "the Berliners’ pancake", and then "the Berlin(er) pancake", reanalysed as an adjective instead of a noun and seen as being in the nominative singular (due to the ambiguity of the definite article der, which is both masculine nominative and plural genitive).[2][3]

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      2. Forms invariable adjectives from place names, with a genitival meaning, indicating origin from or association with that place.
      Usage notes
      edit
      • In contemporary German, words formed with this suffix -er are written with a capital letter (§ 61 of the official reform spelling rules as of 2018), e.g. ein Berliner Pfannkuchen. In the past, they were sometimes written with a lowercase letter like most other adjectives, e.g. ein berliner Pfannkuchen.[4]
      • In case of placenames which are written with a space, the derived word can be written with a space or with a hyphen (§ 49 of the official reform spelling rules as of 2011), e.g. Bad Schandau → Bad Schandauer or Bad-Schandauer.
      • Since adjectives in -er are undeclined, they cannot normally support genitives by themselves. However, in the feminine and plural the ending -er happens to be same as that of a declined (strong) adjective and according pseudo-genitives may be encountered, such as Meldungen Berliner Zeitungen (“reports of Berlin newspapers”) instead of more proper Meldungen von Berliner Zeitungen. Such usage has been discouraged, but is no longer considered an error.
      Derived terms
      edit
      German terms suffixed with -er (genitival)

      Etymology 5

      edit

      From Middle High German -er.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      2. Forms the comparative form of adjectives.
        ‎lang + ‎-er → ‎länger
        ‎schön + ‎-er → ‎schöner
        ‎exakt + ‎-er → ‎exakter

      References

      edit
      1. ^ A. van Loey, "Schönfeld's Historische Grammatica van het Nederlands", Zutphen, 8. druk, 1970, →ISBN; § 175
      2. ^ Johann Christoph Adelung, Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, vol. 1 (Leipzig, 1793), pages 1848-1852, sub verbo 4. -Er
      3. ^ Hermann Möller, Ahd. frôno (nhd. fron-) als elliptischer Plural, in the Zeitschrift für deutsche Wortforschung, volume 4 (editor Friedrich Kluge; Straßburg, 1903), page 95
      4. ^ The current official spelling rules prescribe the capital letter without further explanation and without indicating the part of speech of the words formed with the suffix (compare -isch/-sch, derivatives of which are labelled adjectives in § 62).

      Hungarian

      edit

      Etymology

      edit

      Possibly from English -er, by analogy of word pairs like blog and blogger (whose doubled final consonant is consistently pronounced long in Hungarian, as opposed to English) and/or perhaps earlier borrowed word pairs like stop and stoppol. Other existing slang terms ending in -er, like vaker, haver, sóder, might have played some role. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. (slang, slightly derogatory) Added to a shortened form of a noun, lengthening the first consonant following its first vowel, to derive a noun.
        kalauz (“ticket inspector”) → kaller
        nyugdíjas (“pensioner”) → nyugger
        mami (“mommy; elderly woman”) → mammer
        jobboldali (“rightist”) → jobber

      Derived terms

      edit
      Hungarian nouns suffixed with -er

      See also

      edit

      Further reading

      edit

      Latin

      edit

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of -ō (first conjugation)

      Luxembourgish

      edit

      Etymology

      edit

      From a Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, from Latin -ārius.

      Pronunciation

      edit

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. -er (suffix used to form agent nouns from verbs)

      Derived terms

      edit
      Luxembourgish terms suffixed with -er

      Middle Dutch

      edit

      Etymology

      edit

      From Old Dutch -iro, -oro, from Proto-Germanic *-izô, *-ōzô.

      Suffix

      edit

      -er

      1. -er. Forms the comparative of adjectives.

      Alternative forms

      edit

      Derived terms

      edit

      See Category:Middle Dutch comparative adjectives.

      edit

      Descendants

      edit

      Middle English

      edit

      Alternative forms

      edit

      Etymology 1

      edit

        Inherited from Old English -ere, from Proto-West Germanic *-ārī, from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. forms agent nouns from nouns and verbs
          ‎spinnen + ‎-er → ‎spynner
        Derived terms
        edit
        Middle English terms suffixed with -er
        Descendants
        edit

        Etymology 2

        edit

        Inherited from Old English -ware, from Proto-Germanic *warjaz (“dwellers of”). Cognate with Old High German -āri (“inhabitants of”).

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. forms demonyms from place names
          ‎London + ‎-er → ‎Londoner
        Descendants
        edit

        References

        edit

        Middle French

        edit

        Alternative forms

        edit
        • -ier (typically early Middle French)

        Etymology 1

        edit

        From Old French -ier, -er, from Latin -are.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
        Usage notes
        edit
        • Many of these verbs are directly descended from Latin, rather than from stem + suffix
        Descendants
        edit

        Etymology 2

        edit

        From Old French -ier.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Forms nouns, often denoting professions
          boucher
          butcher
        Descendants
        edit

        Norman

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

        Derived terms

        edit
        Norman terms suffixed with -er

        Northern Kurdish

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Used to form nouns referring to doer or who works on something.
          ‎bû (“to be”) + ‎-er → ‎bûyer (“event”)
          ‎destpêkirin (“to start”) + ‎-er → ‎destpêker (“starter”)

        Derived terms

        edit
        Northern Kurdish terms suffixed with -er

        Norwegian Bokmål

        edit

        Pronunciation

        edit
          This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

        Etymology 1

        edit

        From Danish -er.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. (added to numbers) order, position, value or similar indicated by the numeral

        Etymology 2

        edit

        From Danish -er, from Old Norse -ari, from Medieval Latin and Middle Low German words, both from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, from Latin -ārius.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. (added to verbs) person or thing that does an action indicated by the root verb
        2. (added to place names) person or thing that originates in the place indicated by the place name

        Etymology 3

        edit

        From Danish -er.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. suffix added to most of indefinite plural nouns, usually identical to Danish, but unlike Nynorsk and Swedish
        Derived terms
        edit
        Norwegian Bokmål terms suffixed with -er

        References

        edit

        Norwegian Nynorsk

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Used to form indefinite plurals for most feminine nouns.
        2. Used to form indefinite plurals for some masculine nouns.
        3. Used to form present tense for one class of weak verbs.
        4. (obsolete) Used to form present tense for strong verbs.

        Old English

        edit

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Alternative form of -or

        Old French

        edit

        Etymology 1

        edit

        From Latin -āre.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix
        Usage notes
        edit
        • All varieties of Old French use -er but it's more common in Anglo-Norman than in France, specifically before certain consonants such as c and g.

        Etymology 2

        edit

        From Latin -ārius.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. (chiefly Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of -ier, suffix indicating a profession
          falconer, fauconer
          falconer

        Old Frisian

        edit

        Alternative forms

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        From Proto-West Germanic *iʀ, from Proto-Germanic *iz, from Proto-Indo-European *ís. Cognates include Old High German er, Old Norse er and Gothic 𐌹𐍃 (is).

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Pronoun

        edit

        -er

        1. enclitic nominative of hī

        Descendants

        edit
        • Saterland Frisian: er
        • West Frisian: er

        Old Swedish

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        From Old Norse -r.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. denotes the nominative singular of adjectives, masculine a-stem, i-stem, u-stem, and an-stem, as well as feminine ijo-stem nouns
        2. denotes the nominative and accusative plurals of r- and consonant stem nouns
          fisker
          fish
          dø̄ver
          deaf

        Polish

        edit

        Alternative forms

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        Internationalism; compare English -er.

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er m

        1. -er, creates an agent noun
          ‎aport + ‎-er → ‎aporter

        Declension

        edit

        Animate:

        Declension of -er
        singular plural
        nominative -er -erzy/-ery (deprecative)
        genitive -era -erów
        dative -erowi -erom
        accusative -era -erów
        instrumental -erem -erami
        locative -erze -erach
        vocative -erze -erzy

        Animal:

        Declension of -er
        singular plural
        nominative -er -ery
        genitive -era -erów
        dative -erowi -erom
        accusative -era -ery
        instrumental -erem -erami
        locative -erze -erach
        vocative -erze -ery

        Inanimate:

        Declension of -er
        singular plural
        nominative -er -ery
        genitive -eru -erów
        dative -erowi -erom
        accusative -er -ery
        instrumental -erem -erami
        locative -erze -erach
        vocative -erze -ery

        Derived terms

        edit
        Polish terms suffixed with -er

        Further reading

        edit
        • -er in Polish dictionaries at PWN

        Portuguese

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese -er, from Latin -ēre. The short -ere of some Latin verbs was reinterpreted as either -er or -ir.

        Pronunciation

        edit
         
         

        • Rhymes: (Portugal, São Paulo) -eɾ, (Brazil) -eʁ, (Brazil, with r-dropping) -e

        Suffix

        edit

        -er (verb-forming suffix, first-person singular present -o, first-person singular preterite -i, past participle -ido)

        1. forms the infinitive of the second-conjugation verbs

        Conjugation

        edit
            Conjugation of -er (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)
        Singular Plural
        First-person
        (eu)         		Second-person
        (tu)         		Third-person
        (ele / ela / você)         		First-person
        (nós)         		Second-person
        (vós)         		Third-person
        (eles / elas / vocês)
        Infinitive
        Impersonal -er
        Personal -er -eres -er -ermos -erdes -erem
        Gerund
        -endo
        Past participle
        Masculine -ido -idos
        Feminine -ida -idas
        Indicative
        Present -o -es -e -emos -eis -em
        Imperfect -ia -ias -ia -íamos -íeis -iam
        Preterite -i -este -eu -emos -estes -eram
        Pluperfect -era -eras -era -êramos -êreis -eram
        Future -erei -erás -erá -eremos -ereis -erão
        Conditional -eria -erias -eria -eríamos -eríeis -eriam
        Subjunctive
        Present -a -as -a -amos -ais -am
        Imperfect -esse -esses -esse -êssemos -êsseis -essem
        Future -er -eres -er -ermos -erdes -erem
        Imperative
        Affirmative -e -a -amos -ei -am
        Negative (não) não -as não -a não -amos não -ais não -am

        Saterland Frisian

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        From Old Frisian -ere, from Proto-West Germanic *-ārī. Cognates include West Frisian -er and German -er.

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Forms agent nouns from verbs; -er

        Declension

        edit
        Saterland Frisian terms suffixed with -er

        Scots

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        From Middle English -ere, from Old English -ere.

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Forms agent nouns from verbs; -er

        Spanish

        edit

        Etymology

        edit

        Inherited from Latin -ēre.

        Suffix

        edit

        -er (verb-forming suffix, first-person singular present -o, first-person singular preterite -í, past participle -ido)

        1. the infinitive suffix for many verbs

        Conjugation

        edit
            Conjugation of -er (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)
        infinitive -er
        gerund -iendo
        past participle masculine feminine
        singular -ido -ida
        plural -idos -idas
        singular plural
        1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
        indicative yo tú
        vos         		él/ella/ello
        usted         		nosotros
        nosotras         		vosotros
        vosotras         		ellos/ellas
        ustedes
        present -o -estú
        -ésvos         		-e -emos -éis -en
        imperfect -ía -ías -ía -íamos -íais -ían
        preterite -í -iste -ió -imos -isteis -ieron
        future -eré -erás -erá -eremos -eréis -erán
        conditional -ería -erías -ería -eríamos -eríais -erían
        subjunctive yo tú
        vos         		él/ella/ello
        usted         		nosotros
        nosotras         		vosotros
        vosotras         		ellos/ellas
        ustedes
        present -a -astú
        -ásvos2         		-a -amos -áis -an
        imperfect
        (ra)         		-iera -ieras -iera -iéramos -ierais -ieran
        imperfect
        (se)         		-iese -ieses -iese -iésemos -ieseis -iesen
        future1 -iere -ieres -iere -iéremos -iereis -ieren
        imperative — tú
        vos         		usted nosotros
        nosotras         		vosotros
        vosotras         		ustedes
        affirmative -etú
        -évos         		-a -amos -ed -an
        negative no -as no -a no -amos no -áis no -an

        1Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
        2Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

        See also

        edit

        Swedish

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. One of two suffixes for indefinite plural for nouns of the third declension (common and neuter); the second one is -r
        2. Suffix for present tense, active voice, indicative mood for one of the groups of Swedish verbs
        3. Agent noun suffix, often for loan words ending with -ik.
          ‎matematik (“mathematics”) + ‎-er → ‎matematiker (“mathematician”)
          ‎fysik (“physics”) + ‎-er → ‎fysiker (“physicist”)
          ‎slarv (“sloppiness, carelessness”) + ‎-er → ‎slarver (“someone sloppy or careless”)

        See also

        edit
        plural suffix
        present tense suffix
        agent noun suffix

        Anagrams

        edit

        Turkish

        edit

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Etymology 1

        edit

        Inherited from Ottoman Turkish ـر (-r, -er), from Proto-Turkic *-ür. Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰼 (r² /⁠-(e)r⁠/). Negative -mez are from Proto-Turkic *-meŕ, from Proto-Turkic *-me + *-er or *-ür (Azerbaijani -ər (“indefinite future suffix”) — -məz, but -ir (“simple present suffix”) — -mir).

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Simple present and aorist tense marker

        Suffix

        edit

        -er -mez

        1. as soon as
          Eve gelir gelmez duş alırım.
          As soon as I get home, I take a shower.
        Usage notes
        edit

        The suffix -r is used after verb stems ending in a vowel. Unlike most negations of tense suffixes which regularly uses the suffix -me, negative aorist suffix is -mez instead of *-mer.

        Derived terms
        edit
        Turkish terms suffixed with -er
        edit

        Etymology 2

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. Makes adjectives out of verbs
        2. Makes nouns out of verbs
          ‎kes- (“to cut”) + ‎-er → ‎keser (“adze”)
          Yağmur diner gibi oldu. ― The rain seems to be stopping.

        Etymology 3

        edit

        Inherited from Ottoman Turkish ـر (-er), from Proto-Turkic [Term?].

        Suffix

        edit
        preceding vowel
        A / I / O / U E / İ / Ö / Ü
        postconsonantal -ar -er
        postvocalic -şar -şer

        -er

        2. suffix for distributive numbers
          ‎bir + ‎-er → ‎birer
          ‎iki + ‎-er → ‎ikişer
          ‎dört + ‎-er → ‎dörder
          ‎beş + ‎-er → ‎beşer
        Derived terms
        edit
        Turkish terms suffixed with -er (distributive)

        Walloon

        edit

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. A verb ending for infinitives.

        Welsh

        edit

        Pronunciation

        edit

        Etymology 1

        edit

        Suffix

        edit

        -er

        1. (literary) verb suffix for the impersonal present subjunctive
        2. (literary) verb suffix for the impersonal imperative

        Etymology 2

        edit

        Borrowed from English -er.[1]

        Suffix

        edit

        -er m

        1. suffix forming nouns
          ‎brig (“branches, sprigs, shoots”) + ‎-er → ‎briger (“stamens”)
          ‎tafl (“sling, catapult”) + ‎-er → ‎tafler (“sling, catapult”)
          ‎col (“awn”) + ‎-er → ‎colier (“awner, chobber”)

        References

        edit
        1. ^ R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “-er”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
        Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=-er&oldid=80860622"