*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ers

From -er.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

plural of -er

suffix

Used to form slang or colloquial equivalents of words. · Used to form mostly adjectives used informally.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From -er.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-er<id:Oxford>",
        "id": "slangy",
        "tree": "1",
        "pos": "suffix"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "from",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-er",
        "id": "Oxford"
      },
      "expansion": "-er"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-er<id:Oxford>",
        "id": "slangy",
        "tree": "1",
        "pos": "suffix"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English:_Oxford"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "plural of -er"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "informal",
        "morpheme",
        "plural"
      ],
      "recordId": "5012dc7a7012e8446fcdc804056cc447dbce796ed651c1f5cf9c53069ba18325",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fe4c90bbac69ad5353058314b4441e19f41f6d2c6b8b9709640180b8c0659c21",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5334992
    },
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form slang or colloquial equivalents of words.",
        "Used to form mostly adjectives used informally."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "f2db6ea6f9f8bcb5054ef8d789a6db647e65766207cf663cb4453d07e6e19424",
      "rawRecordSha256": "58902a5061ea28a1a10c2dd1ed2d7af1c165f0241e6cf5507b418853b75d6741",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5334991
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ers →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWVycw