-er

See also: Appendix:Variations of "er"

English

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
  • (General American) enPR: ər, IPA(key): /ɚ/, [ɹ̩]
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Homophones: -or; -a (non-rhotic)

Etymology 1

    Inherited from Middle English -ere, -er, from Old English -ere, from Proto-West Germanic *-ārī, from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, usually thought to have been borrowed from Latin -ārius; see Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz for an alternate theory. Reinforced by Middle English -er, from Old French -ier, also from Latin -ārius; compare the synonymous but unrelated Old French -or, -eor (Anglo-Norman variant -our), from Latin -(ā)tor, from Proto-Indo-European *-tōr.

    The "inhabitant" sense is sometimes connected to Middle English -wær(r)e, -ware, from Old English -ware (suffix denoting residency), from Proto-West Germanic *-wari, from Proto-Germanic *warjaz (inhabitant), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (to protect).

    Alternative forms

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

    Suffix

    -er

    1. (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
    2. (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)
    3. (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
    4. (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
    5. (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)
    6. (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
    7. (added to nouns or occasionally adjectives) 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)
    8. (slang, added in slang speech to verbs or adjectives) Indicates a correspondence or coincidence between the action or condition indicated by the root and the noun being described.
      piss + ‎-er → ‎pisser (a hilariously funny event or situation)
    9. (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
    10. Suffix denoting residency in or around a place, district, area, or region.
      island + ‎-er → ‎islander
      highland + ‎-er → ‎highlander
      East End + ‎-er → ‎East-Ender
    Usage notes
    • 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, often with humorous effect (washer-upper). Rarely, it may even appear three times, as in picker-upperer.
    • 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
    English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)
    English terms suffixed with -er (occupation)
    English terms suffixed with -er (ideology)
    English terms suffixed with -er (inhabitant)
    Translations

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

    See also

    Etymology 2

    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

    -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

    Etymology 3

    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 4, below); related to superlative -est.

    Suffix

    -er

    1. (added to certain adjectives and adverbs, now especially short ones) More; used to form the comparative.
      hard + ‎-er → ‎harder
      wet + ‎-er → ‎wetter
      motley + ‎-er → ‎motlier
      eerie + ‎-er → ‎eerier
      clayey + ‎-er → ‎clayier
    Usage notes
    • (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.
        easyeasiereasiest; graygrayergrayest
      • 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.
        dimdimmerdimmest
      • 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.
        hothotterhottest; fastfasterfastest; funnyfunnierfunniest; sugarysugariersugariest
      • Some adjectives and adverbs form their comparatives and superlatives irregularly:
        goodbetterbest; farfartherfarthest, or farfurtherfurthest, 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.
        rigidmore rigidmost rigid; enormousmore enormousmost enormous; burntmore burntmost burnt; freezingmore freezingmost 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 (but not in wrong)
      long (/lɒŋ/) → longer (/ˈlɒŋ.ɡə(ɹ)/); young (/jʌŋ/) → youngest (/ˈjʌŋ.ɡɪst/)
    Translations

    Etymology 4

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

    Suffix

    -er

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

    Etymology 5

    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

    -er

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

    Etymology 6

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

    Suffix

    -er

    1. (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
    English terms suffixed with -er (action noun)

    Etymology 7

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

    Suffix

    -er

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

    Etymology 8

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

      Suffix

      -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
      Translations

      Etymology 9

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

      Suffix

      -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

      Etymology 10

      From Mandarin -兒 / -儿 (-ér).

      Suffix

      -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
      • 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

      See also

      References

      Anagrams

      Afrikaans

      Etymology

      From Dutch -er.

      Pronunciation

      • Audio:(file)

      Suffix

      -er

      1. -er

      Ao

      Etymology 1

        Suffix

        -er

        1. (Chungli) simple present verb suffix

        Etymology 2

          See Proto-Central Naga *th-ra (ten) (whence also ter (ten)).

          Suffix

          -er

          1. (Chungli) Forms numerals denoting multiples of ten.
          Derived terms
          Ao terms suffixed with -er (numeral)

          Further reading

          • Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1975), Ao Grammar, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, page 50
          • Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, pages 17-18

          Bavarian

          Etymology

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

          Pronunciation

          Suffix

          -er

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

          Derived terms

          Breton

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /ɛʁ/

          Suffix

          -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

          Catalan

          Etymology

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

          Pronunciation

          Suffix

          -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

          • 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

          -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

          • 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

          Derived terms

          Catalan terms suffixed with -er

          References

          Central Franconian

          Pronunciation

          Etymology 1

          From Middle High German -er, from various Proto-Germanic suffixes.

          Regarding the use in masculine pronouns, the medieval documentation shows that, for “who” and “that one”, Ripuarian had forms with and without -r alongside (wer/, der/), but for “he” only . Today these forms have been unified to r-less , , , but the r-form still survives in the unstressed article der (the). The use in indefinite pronouns is analogical; in comparison to other High German dialects, this expansion was very limited, encompassing neither determiners nor adjectives.

          Suffix

          -er (inflectional)

          1. forms comparatives
          2. forms feminine dative forms of pronouns, determiners and adjectives
          3. forms masculine nominative/accusative forms of indefinite pronouns: eener, keener, mäncher, selver, welcher (only in independent use)

          Etymology 2

          From Middle High German -er(e), -ære, ultimately from Latin -arius.

          Suffix

          -er (derivational)

          1. -er, -or; forms agent nouns

          Chuukese

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /ˈɛɾ/

          Suffix

          -er

          1. (added to possessive nouns) their
          2. (added to verbs as an indirect object) them
          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

          Cornish

          Etymology

          From either Latin -or or English -er.

          Suffix

          -er m (plural -oryon)

          1. Forms masculine agent nouns
            Synonyms: -yas, -ydh
            kig (meat) + ‎-er → ‎kiger (butcher)
          2. Forms adjectives for spoken languages; -phone
            Sowsnek (English) + ‎-er → ‎Sowsneger (Anglophone)

          Usage notes

          • Feminine suffix -es changes this suffix to -ores.

          Derived terms

          Danish

          Etymology

          From Old Norse -ari

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): [-ʌ]

          Suffix

          -er

          1. Forms agent nouns from verbs, with the sense "someone or something that verbs".
          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

          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

          Danish terms suffixed with -er

          References

          Dutch

          Alternative forms

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /ər/

          Etymology 1

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

          Suffix

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

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

          Etymology 2

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

          Suffix

          -er

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

          Etymology 3

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

          Suffix

          -er

          1. Forms the comparative form of adjectives.
          Derived terms
          Dutch comparative adjectives

          Etymology 4

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

          Suffix

          -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 vrouwthe beauty of a woman
          2. (archaic, except in fixed expressions) Used to form the (strong) feminine singular dative.
            te goeder trouwin good faith
          Usage notes
          • Mostly encountered vestigially, such as in fixed expressions; see for example the descendants at -wijs.

          References

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

          French

          Pronunciation

          Etymology 1

            Inherited from Middle French -er.

            For the loss of final -r in pronunciation, compare another suffix -ier (but not its feminine form -ière), and nouns gars and monsieur. Elsewhere, -r is not silent (e.g. hiver, mer).

            Suffix

            -er (verb-forming suffix)

            1. forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
              aimerto love
            Usage notes
            • 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
            Derived terms
            French terms suffixed with -er (verbal)
            Descendants
            • Swedish: -era (partially derived from French)

            Etymology 2

              Inherited from Middle French -er, from Old French -ier, from Latin -ārius.

              Suffix

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

              1. forms nouns indicating the person who exercises a particular activity
                Synonym: (female equivalent) -ère
                boulangerbaker
              Derived terms

              Gagauz

              Alternative forms

              Etymology

              Inherited from Old Anatolian Turkish [script needed] (-yorır, -yörir), [script needed] (-yor, -yör), ultimately from Proto-Turkic *yorï-. Irregular evolution is explained as ıyor > *ıor > *ıar > êr, with contamination from the suffix -ar.[1] Compare Turkish -iyor, Turkmen -ýar. Doublet of örümää.

              Pronunciation

              • IPA(key): /eˑɾ/

              Suffix

              -er (back vowel variant -êr)

              1. marks the present imperfective tense
                olmaa (to happen) + ‎-er → ‎olêr (is happening)
                yaşamaa (to live) + ‎-er → ‎yaşêêr (is living)
                görmää (to see) + ‎-er → ‎görer (s/he sees)
                istemää (to want) + ‎-er → ‎isteer (s/he wants)

              References

              1. ^ Dinçaslan, M.F. (2023). Gagavuz Türkçesi Ana Ağız Alanları ile Alt Ağız Gruplarının Şimdiki Zaman Ekinin Varyantlarına Göre Tasnifi. Uluslararası Türk Lehçe Araştırmaları Dergisi / International Journal of Turkic Dialects (TÜRKLAD). 7. Cilt, 2. Sayı, 369-38

              Further reading

              • N. A Baskakov, editor (1972), “-er”, in Gagauzsko-Russko-Moldavskij Slovarʹ [Gagauz-Russian-Moldovan Dictionary], Moskva: Izdatelʹstvo Sovetskaja Enciklopedija, →ISBN, page 641

              German

              Pronunciation

              Etymology 1

                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

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

                1. Forms agent nouns etc. from verbs, suffixed to the verb stem.
                  arbeiten (to work) + ‎-er → ‎Arbeiter (worker)
                  bohren (to drill) + ‎-er → ‎Bohrer (drill)
                2. Forms instance nouns from verbs.
                  husten (to cough) + ‎-er → ‎Huster (single cough, instance of coughing)
                  hüpfen (to hop) + ‎-er → ‎Hüpfer (hop, instance of hopping)
                3. 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
                Derived terms
                German terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)

                Etymology 2

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

                Suffix

                -er

                1. Used to form the plurals of some nouns.
                Usage notes
                • 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

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

                  Suffix

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

                  1. Forms nouns indicating an inhabitant of a place, or a person originating from a place.
                  Declension
                  Derived terms
                  German terms suffixed with -er (inhabitant)

                  Etymology 4

                    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

                    -er

                    1. Forms invariable adjectives from place names, with a genitival meaning, indicating origin from or association with that place.
                    Usage notes
                    • 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 SchandauBad 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

                    Etymology 5

                    From Middle High German -er.

                    Suffix

                    -er

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

                    References

                    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

                    Etymology

                    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

                    • IPA(key): [ɛr]

                    Suffix

                    -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

                    Hungarian nouns suffixed with -er

                    See also

                    • -esz (as in alkesz, pálesz; slang terms)
                    • Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

                    Further reading

                    Latin

                    Pronunciation

                    Suffix

                    -er

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

                    Luxembourgish

                    Pronunciation

                    • IPA(key): [ɐ]

                    Etymology 1

                    From Middle High German -er(e), older -ære, from Old High German -āri, from Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz, from Latin -ārius.

                    Suffix

                    -er (derivational)

                    1. -er (forms agent nouns from verbs)
                    Derived terms

                    Etymology 2

                    From Middle High German -er, from a confluence of various Old High German endings.

                    The use for all feminine datives (rather than only strong ones as in German) is found in Central Franconian from the earliest records (as in Dutch). The use with independent plural adjectives goes back to the original genitive (generalized from partitive constructions). Compare the corresponding neuter form in -es (as in vill Guddes), which is likewise from a genitive.

                    Suffix

                    -er (inflectional)

                    1. forms the comparatives of some adjectives (in limited use, see notes at méi)
                      grouss + ‎-er → ‎gréisser
                    2. forms the feminine dative of determiners and adjectives
                      Et ass déi zweet Dier op der rietser Säit.
                      It’s the second door on your right hand.
                    3. forms the independent nominative/accusative plural of adjectives (when used with neither a preceding determiner nor a following noun)
                      Ech hunn zwou Zorte Brieder kaaft: décker an dënner.
                      I bought two kinds of boards: thick ones and thin.

                    Middle Dutch

                    Etymology

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

                    Suffix

                    -er

                    1. -er. Forms the comparative of adjectives.

                    Alternative forms

                    Derived terms

                    See Category:Middle Dutch comparative adjectives.

                    Descendants

                    Middle English

                    Etymology 1

                      Borrowed from Old French -ier, from Latin -ārius.

                      Alternative forms

                      Pronunciation

                      • IPA(key): /-ˈeːr/, /-ər/

                      Suffix

                      -er

                      1. (chiefly no longer productive) Reflects Old French deverbal formations forming agent or instrument nouns.
                      Usage notes
                      • Due to vowel reduction, this suffix is often indistinguishable from -ere; especially in Late Middle English, it further tends to be conflated with -our (see that entry for forms reflecting such confusion).
                      Derived terms
                      Descendants
                      References

                      Etymology 2

                      Suffix

                      -er

                      1. alternative form of -ere (agentive suffix)

                      Etymology 3

                      Suffix

                      -er

                      1. alternative form of -ere (comparative suffix)

                      Etymology 4

                      Suffix

                      -er

                      1. alternative form of -re (plural suffix)

                      Etymology 5

                      Suffix

                      -er

                      1. alternative form of -eren

                      Middle French

                      Etymology 1

                        Inherited from Old French -ier / -er, from Latin -āre.

                        Alternative forms

                        • -ier (typically early Middle French)

                        Suffix

                        -er

                        1. Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
                        Usage notes
                        • Many of these verbs are directly descended from Latin, rather than from stem + suffix
                        Derived terms
                        Middle French terms suffixed with -er (verb)
                        Descendants

                        Etymology 2

                          Inherited from Old French -ier.

                          Alternative forms

                          • -ier (typically early Middle French)

                          Suffix

                          -er

                          1. Forms nouns, often denoting professions
                            bouc + ‎-er → ‎boucher (butcher)
                          Derived terms
                          Category Middle French terms suffixed with -er (noun) not found
                          Descendants

                          Norman

                          Etymology

                            Inherited from Latin -āre.

                            Suffix

                            -er

                            1. alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix

                            Derived terms

                            Northern Kurdish

                            Etymology

                            Most probably not a cognate of English -er or Latin -ōr or -tōr, and instead a back-formation from -ker (a variant of -ger (-ist)) understood as "k-" (present stem of kirin) + "-er". Natively only exists with the most basic verbs such as kirin (-ker), birin (-ber), xistin (-xer or -xîner or -êxer), dan (-der), anîn/înan (-îner)... Later also conflated with -kar (suffix indicating a job or duty) and -dar (suffix indicating a possessor). Popularized in the 20th century under the influence of similar suffixes in European languages. Before that (and now natively) diminutives such as -ok, -oke, -ek, -ik was used to form agent nouns; which are also present participle suffixes.

                            Despite being less likely, can still be from Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr, but the -r- is lost in Northwestern Iranic and that would have given *-it, *-id or lost entirely depending on the position, compare Persian برادر and Northern Kurdish bira.

                            Pronunciation

                            • IPA(key): /ˈɛɾ/
                            • Rhymes: -ɛɾ
                            • Hyphenation: -er

                            Suffix

                            -er f

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

                            Derived terms

                            Northern Kurdish terms suffixed with -er

                            Norwegian Bokmål

                            Pronunciation

                            Etymology 1

                            From Danish -er.

                            Suffix

                            -er

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

                            Etymology 2

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

                            Suffix

                            -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

                            From Danish -er.

                            Suffix

                            -er

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

                            References

                            Norwegian Nynorsk

                            Suffix

                            -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.

                            Suffix

                            -er

                            1. imperative of -era

                            Old English

                            Pronunciation

                            • IPA(key): /er/

                            Suffix

                            -er

                            1. alternative form of -or

                            Old French

                            Etymology 1

                              Inherited from Latin -āre.

                              Suffix

                              -er

                              1. alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix
                              Usage notes
                              • 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

                              From Latin -ārius.

                              Suffix

                              -er

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

                              Old Frisian

                              Alternative forms

                              Etymology

                              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

                              • IPA(key): /ˈer/

                              Pronoun

                              -er

                              1. enclitic nominative of

                              Descendants

                              • Saterland Frisian: er
                              • West Frisian: er

                              Old Swedish

                              Etymology

                              From Old Norse -r.

                              Suffix

                              -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

                              Etymology

                                Borrowed from English -er.

                                Pronunciation

                                • IPA(key): /ɛr/
                                • Rhymes: -ɛr
                                • Syllabification: -er

                                Suffix

                                -er m

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

                                Declension

                                Animate:

                                Animal:

                                Inanimate:

                                Derived terms

                                Further reading

                                • -er in Polish dictionaries at PWN

                                Portuguese

                                Etymology

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

                                Pronunciation

                                 
                                 
                                • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈeɾ/
                                  • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈe.ɾi/

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

                                Suffix

                                -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

                                Further reading

                                Saterland Frisian

                                Etymology

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

                                Pronunciation

                                • IPA(key): /-ər/

                                Suffix

                                -er

                                1. Forms agent nouns from verbs; -er

                                Declension

                                Scots

                                Etymology

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

                                Pronunciation

                                • IPA(key): /-ər/

                                Suffix

                                -er

                                1. Forms agent nouns from verbs; -er

                                Spanish

                                Etymology

                                Inherited from Latin -ēre (second conjugation infinitive suffix). Cognate with French -oir, Italian -ere, Romanian -ea.

                                Suffix

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

                                1. a verb ending for infinitives

                                Conjugation

                                Below are the suffixes for the regular conjugation of -er verbs

                                See also

                                • Appendix:Spanish verbs in -ar
                                • Appendix:Spanish verbs in -er

                                Swedish

                                Suffix

                                -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)

                                Usage notes

                                See the usage notes for -r.

                                See also

                                plural suffix
                                present tense suffix
                                agent noun suffix

                                Anagrams

                                Turkish

                                Pronunciation

                                • IPA(key): /ˈær/

                                Etymology 1

                                Inherited from Ottoman Turkish ـر (-r, -er), from Proto-Turkic *-ür. Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰼 ( /⁠-(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

                                -er

                                1. Simple present and aorist tense marker

                                Suffix

                                -er -mez

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

                                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

                                Etymology 2

                                Suffix

                                -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

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

                                Suffix

                                preceding vowel
                                a / ı / o / u e / i / ö / ü
                                postconsonantal -ar -er
                                postvocalic -şar -şer

                                -er

                                1. suffix for distributive numbers
                                  bir + ‎-er → ‎birer
                                  iki + ‎-er → ‎ikişer
                                  dört + ‎-er → ‎dörder
                                  beş + ‎-er → ‎beşer
                                Derived terms

                                Walloon

                                Etymology

                                Inherited from Old French -ier, from Latin -āre.

                                Pronunciation

                                Suffix

                                -er

                                1. forms infinitives of first conjugation verbs.
                                  inmerto love

                                Conjugation

                                Welsh

                                Pronunciation

                                • IPA(key): /ɛr/

                                Etymology 1

                                Suffix

                                -er

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

                                Etymology 2

                                Borrowed from English -er.[1]

                                Suffix

                                -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

                                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

                                Yola

                                Suffix

                                -er

                                1. alternative form of -eare

                                Derived terms

                                Yola terms suffixed with -er