*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of be-er

From be + -er. Hyphenated to avoid confusion with the beverage beer.

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 ↗
noun

One whose self-identity is in passive roles, such as experiencing and observing.

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

From be + -er. Hyphenated to avoid confusion with the beverage beer.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "be",
        "3": "er",
        "id2": "agent noun"
      },
      "expansion": "be + -er"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "be",
      "be#English"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English:_agent_noun"
    ],
    [
      "beer",
      "beer"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One whose self-identity is in passive roles, such as experiencing and observing."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "979045534a1c05b75cada08f6a33f0c13775be32643c3b85a6684002d2a8c7e1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cf301f0eddc83cc53444bceb89ce752e6280234e3ed5d9275402fed8723ac689",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4194896
    }
  ],
  "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 be-er →

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-YmUtZXI