*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pager

From page + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 3).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary 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

A wireless telecommunications device that receives text or voice messages. · A computer program running in a text terminal, used to view (but not modify) the contents of a text file moving down the file one line or one screen at a time. · Something (a document, book etc.) that has a specified number of pages. · One who makes up type into pages of a book; one who binds or sorts pages into a book.

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

From page + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 3).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Word-formation componentpageen
  • Word-formation component-eren
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "page",
        "3": "-er",
        "id2": "agent noun",
        "pos2": "agent noun suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "page + -er (agent noun suffix)"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "",
        "3": "er",
        "id2": "measurement",
        "pos2": "measurement suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "+ -er (measurement suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "page",
      "page#English"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English:_agent_noun"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English:_measurement"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A wireless telecommunications device that receives text or voice messages.",
        "A computer program running in a text terminal, used to view (but not modify) the contents of a text file moving down the file one line or one screen at a time.",
        "Something (a document, book etc.) that has a specified number of pages.",
        "One who makes up type into pages of a book; one who binds or sorts pages into a book."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "in-compounds"
      ],
      "recordId": "0f7c23d7123fe87c778af54743e224d37d2071a237ba8dfce560c064713004c6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5f3d3b54ab35c65d6b95744acf8b0f12d13e622671466daf4ef81d6d4498050e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 147088
    }
  ],
  "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 pager →

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-cGFnZXI