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

founder

A worker who casts metal in molds.

The founder pours molten metal into the prepared mold.

Etymology

The agent ending names the worker who founds metal. That verb comes from pouring, matching the casting process of pouring molten metal into a mold.

More examples

  • Several founders worked in the casting shop.
  • The bell founder inspected the finished casting.
  • She studied the founder's craft.

Forms

founder · founders

Similar words

caster
A worker who casts material, not only metal.
smith
Shapes metal by working it rather than pouring into molds.