*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ier

From -y + -er.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
suffix

spelling of the suffix sequence -y followed by -er, or of any word ending in -(e)y suffixed with -er.

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

From -y + -er.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "-y",
        "4": "-er",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From -y + -er."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "-y",
        "4": "-er",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From -y + -er."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "spelling of the suffix sequence -y followed by -er, or of any word ending in -(e)y suffixed with -er."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "b860109f3b1b03fab59f5f44d8a9d47b2701bda243083258de3eead78a32ebc4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9359c68c12f09c3590337fd2a4a6f474f524e3707c4218b2f5a2cf302ebe16c2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 275888
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forming nouns denoting occupations, particularly with words from French.

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

From Middle English -ier, -iere from verbs ending in -ien + -ere, later extended to form other nouns (e.g. Middle English clothyer, glasiere, lovier, tiliere). Later reinforced by Middle French and modern French -ier, largely in words more recently borrowed from or influenced by French (e.g. cashier, financier, etc.). Doublet of -ar, -ary, -eer, and -yer.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention-ierenm
  • Borrowed-form mention-ierfr
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ier"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ier"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "clothyer"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English clothyer"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "-ier"
      },
      "expansion": "French -ier"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-ar<id:occupation>",
        "3": "-ary",
        "4": "-eer",
        "5": "-yer"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of -ar, -ary, -eer, and -yer"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ier",
      "-ier#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-iere",
      "-iere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ien",
      "-ien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ere",
      "-ere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "clothyer",
      "clothyer#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "glasiere",
      "glasiere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lovier",
      "lovyer#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tiliere",
      "tilier#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ier",
      "-ier#French"
    ],
    [
      "cashier",
      "cashier#English"
    ],
    [
      "financier",
      "financier#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ar",
      "-ar#English:_occupation"
    ],
    [
      "-ary",
      "-ary#English"
    ],
    [
      "-eer",
      "-eer#English"
    ],
    [
      "-yer",
      "-yer#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Forming nouns denoting occupations, particularly with words from French."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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    "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 -ier →

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-LWllcg