-er

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "er"

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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. 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.
    ‎anti-vax + ‎-er → ‎anti-vaxxer
    ‎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
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

  2. (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)
Related terms[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]

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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.

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

Related terms[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

  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[edit]
  • (male inhabitant): -se (“female 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
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, 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 couging”)
    ‎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)
Related terms[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.

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[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
Related terms[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]

Suffix[edit]

-er

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