rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: -er
English

-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 / verb

shutter

SHUHT-er/ˈʃʌtər/

A movable barrier that controls an opening.

The wooden shutter swings open to let in morning light.

A window with one wooden shutter open and another closed, clear movable covers.
Etymology
shuttEnglishto close
+erEnglisha person or thing that does something

Shut plus -er first named a person who closes something. The name then shifted to a movable window cover and, in photography, a device that opens and closes a lens aperture.

In context

B&H Photo Video Pro Audio0:31
Shutter speed is the measured time of an image, the moment between the opening and the closing of the camera shutter.
ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture Explained | Exposure Basics for Beginners

More examples

  • We shutter the windows before a severe storm arrives.
  • The camera's shutter stays open longer in dim light.
  • The shopkeeper lowers the metal shutter over the storefront.

Forms

shutter · shutters · shuttered · shuttering

shut verb — To close something or become closed.

Similar words

cover
A broader term that need not involve a movable barrier.
blind
A window covering mainly used to regulate light and privacy.