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

passer

A person who goes past a place or point.

A passer stops to read the notice on our gate.

Etymology

The ending -er names the person performing the action. A passer is therefore someone moving past a particular place or point.

More examples

  • The vendor offers free samples to passers.
  • She asks a passer for directions to the station.
  • The low branches brush against the heads of passers.

Forms

passer · passers

pass verb — To move past a place or point.

Similar words

passerby
More common for someone passing a particular spot.
pedestrian
Specifically someone traveling on foot, rather than by vehicle.