-er

a person or thing that does something

Forms

-er
-r — Used after some bases ending in e.

Origin

Old English -ere, generally traced through Germanic to Latin -arius.

Note

It can name a tool as readily as a person. The comparison ending in taller has a different history.

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noun

necromancer

NEK-roh-man-ser/ˈnekrəʊmænsər/

A sorcerer who communicates with or raises the dead.

The necromancer calls a dead king's spirit from the tomb.

A magician conducts a ritual beside a grave and exchanges a short question and answer with the translucent spirit rising from it.

Etymology

necroGreekdead body; dead

+mancGreekdivination

+erEnglisha person or thing that does something

“Dead body” and “divination” identify the purpose of this magician’s communication: seeking knowledge or prophecy from the dead. The selected meaning preserves that specific practice within the word’s broader use for a sorcerer.

In context

Enhanced Public Domain170:58

he was a necromancer and there is still shown in a certain town in Italy the mirror in which he made the dead appear

1900s Satire Audiobook: Anatole France - Penguin Island

More examples

In the novel, a necromancer raises an army of skeletons.
The villagers fear the necromancer's power over the dead.
The game lets players choose a necromancer as a character.

Forms

necromancer · necromancers

Similar words

sorcerer: A broader magical figure without a specific connection to the dead.
medium: A medium claims communication with spirits; a necromancer specifically practices magic involving the dead.