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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

reaper

REE-per/ˈriːpər/

A person or machine that harvests crops by cutting them.

The reaper cuts ripe wheat with a sickle and gathers the stalks.

A farm worker harvests ripe wheat with a sickle, gathering a handful of standing stalks while cutting near their bases.
Etymology
reapOld Englishcut and gather a harvest
+erEnglisha person or thing that does something

Reap plus the agent suffix names the worker who cuts grain. The same name was later applied to a machine performing that harvesting work.

In context

The Henry Ford0:45
We use a team of Percherons to pull the reaper. They pull the machine, and as they're pulling it's gonna cut the wheat down.
Using Our Restored 1880s-Era Johnston Reaper to Harvest Wheat

More examples

  • The farmer uses a mechanical reaper to cut the barley.
  • Before machines, reapers worked through the fields with sickles.
  • A broken blade brings the reaper to a stop.

Forms

reaper · reapers

reap verb — To cut and gather ripe crops.

Similar words

harvester
Can gather many crops, not necessarily by cutting them.
mower
Cuts grass or crops without necessarily gathering a harvest.