reaper

See also: Reaper

English

Etymology

From Middle English reper, repare, repere, *riper (the last, attested only in surnames Ryper, Riper, etc.), from Old English rīpere (“reaper”), equivalent to reap +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːpə(ɹ)

Noun

reaper (plural reapers)

1. One who reaps; a person employed to harvest crops from the fields by reaping.
   • 1913, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Poison Belt‎^[1]:

     Even as we looked some rumour seemed to have spread, for we saw the reapers hurrying from the fields.

2. A machine used to harvest crops.
3. (often with initial capital) Short for Grim Reaper.
   • 1976, Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult), "Don't Fear the Reaper" (song)

     Don't fear the Reaper / We'll be able to fly

   • 1999, Karl S. Guthke, The Gender of Death: A Cultural History in Art and Literature (page 7)

     Why is the Grim Reaper a man? True, the noun ending would theoretically allow us to visualize the reaper as a woman as well, but we don't.

4. Recluse spider (Loxosceles and Sicarius spp.)

Derived terms

• Grim Reaper

Related terms

• reap

Translations

one who reaps

• Arabic: حَصَّاد‎ m (ḥaṣṣād)
• Catalan: segador m
• Czech: sekáč (cs) m
• Dutch: maaier (nl) m
• Finnish: elonkorjaaja (fi)
• French: moissonneur (fr) m, récolteur (fr) m
• German: Schnitter (de) m, Mäher (de) m, Mähder (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: θεριστής m (theristḗs)

• Hungarian: arató (hu)
• Indonesian: pembabat (id)

• Italian: mietitore (it), raccoglitore (it), vendemmiatore
• Latin: messor m
• Ngazidja Comorian: mvunadji 1 or 2
• Polish: żniwiarz (pl) m, żeniec m
• Portuguese: ceifador (pt) m, ceifeiro (pt) m, segador m
• Russian: жнец (ru) m (žnec)
• Spanish: cosechador m, cosechadora (es) f, segador
• Swedish: slåtterkarl c, skördeman c, lieman (sv) c
• Turkish: orakçı (tr)
• Westrobothnian: slåttar m

machine used for harvesting — see harvester

the Grim Reaper — see Grim Reaper

recluse spider — see recluse spider

Anagrams

• Pearre, Perera, rerape