-er

I. adjective suffix or adverb suffix Etymology: Middle English -er, -ere, -re, from Old English -ra (in adjectives), -or (in adverbs); akin to Old High German -iro, adjective comparative suffix, Latin -ior, Greek -iōn — used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs of one syllable <

hotter

> <

drier

> and of some adjectives and adverbs of two or more syllables <

completer

> <

beautifuller

> II. noun suffix also -ier or -yer Etymology: Middle English -er, -ere, -ier, -iere; partly from Old English -ere (from Latin -arius); partly from Old French -ier, -iere, from Latin -arius, -aria, -arium -ary; partly from Anglo-French -ere, from Latin -ator -or — more at -ary, -or 1. a. person occupationally connected with <

furrier

> <

lawyer

> b. person or thing belonging to or associated with <

header

> <

old-timer

> c. native of ; resident of <

cottager

> <

New Yorker

> d. one that has <

three-decker

> e. one that produces or yields <

porker

> 2. a. one that does or performs (a specified action) <

batter

> — sometimes added to both elements of a compound <

builder-upper

> b. one that is a suitable object of (a specified action) <

broiler

> 3. one that is <

foreigner

> — in all senses -yer in a few words after w, -ier in a few other words, otherwise -er