followern.
/ˈfɒləʊə/, U.S. /ˈfɑloʊər/ 1. † c. An imitator; a person who or thing which copies something. Obsolete.
a. A person who accompanies another as an attendant, servant, companion, etc.In early use sometimes implying a specific rank or legal status (compare quot. lOE).
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society > education > learning > learner > [noun] > disciple
discipleeOE
followereOE
childOE
scholara1425
lererc1440
discipless1611
acolyte1623
chela1834
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > retainer or follower > [noun]
followereOE
youngereOE
retenantc1390
suitora1398
waitera1500
retainer1508
pursuivant1513
villein1534
consequent1550
backmanc1560
janissary1565
jackman1566
hensure1568
belonger1577
lackey1588
sequent1598
pedissequant1607
henchman1754
gesith1861
ministerialis1888
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xv. 449 Hwæt wille we ma nu sprecan be ðæm cininge & be his folgerum [L. de regum familiaribus], butan þæt ælc gesceadwis man mæg witan þæt [hi] bioð full earme?
lOE Laws: Rectitudines (Corpus Cambr.) x. 450 Folgere gebyreð, þæt he on twelf monðum ii æceras geearnige.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. l. 549 I haue ben his folwar al þis fourty [emended in ed. to fifty] wyntre.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. cxcv Certain of his henxmen or folowers wer taken.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis v, in tr. Virgil Wks. 358 And forc'd Æneas..To leave his Foll'wers on a Foreign Coast.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge viii. 277 The Captain..eyed his follower over.
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 275 All Followers and Retainers of the Camp.
a1916 J. London Hearts of Three (1920) xxvii. 339 All looked and saw, not fifty yards away, Torres, the Jefe, and their gang of followers, emerging into the open clearing.
2010 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 7 Dec. 20 Commensurate with her fame, she brought with her a retinue of followers and attendants.
b. A person who obeys or is guided by the teaching or opinions of another; an adherent, disciple, pupil. Also: a person who conforms to or complies with an example, model, rule of conduct, etc.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > imitation > [noun] > following in a course of conduct > one who
followerOE
adopter1681
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > support or encouragement > [noun] > supporter or encourager > adherent
followerOE
manOE
soldier1340
suerc1384
suitora1398
adherent1426
clienta1464
aggregator1541
sectator?1541
suppost1547
ensuer1550
adherer1561
sectary1590
symbolizer1607
acolyte1623
sectarian1819
tailer1838
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xxxiv. 471 Swa eac sceolon Godes folgeras þæt sind þa cristenan habban ða unscæððinysse on heora mode þe cild hæfð on ylde.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 41 Ȝe modi menn, ðes dieules folȝeres.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Eph. v. 1 Be ȝe foloweris of God..and walke ȝe in loue.
1611 Bible (King James) 1 Pet. iii. 13 If ye bee followers of that which is good. View more context for this quotation
1710 G. Berkeley Treat. Princ. Human Knowl. §11. 53 That antiquated and so much ridicul'd Notion of Materia Prima, to be met with in Aristotle and his Followers.
1781 E. Burke Corr. (1963) IV. 373 We, who ought to have taken the lead in so noble a work, are but ill followers even of the examples which are set to us.
1891 Speaker 2 May 526/2 The first serious attempt..to vindicate Horace Walpole from the aspersions of Macaulay and his followers.
1967 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 113 450/2 The Role Theory is a comparatively new concept. Since the 1930s, it has acquired many followers.
2008 Independent 24 July 15 (heading) Followers of the 70-million strong Ahmadi Muslim sect will gather in London for the centenary of their leader's death.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > imitation > [noun] > one who or that which imitates
followera1398
imitator1523
counterfeiter1526
counterfeitress1577
ape1594
imitatrix1606
emulator1652
figurer1665
mime1677
copier1679
copist1682
mimicker1693
copyist1756
mimic1791
polygraph1794
polygraphic1797
polygrapher1810
echoer1823
imitatressa1834
me-too1886
copycat1896
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xii. vii. 616 Þe coluer is messager of pees,..folowere of mekenes [L. pietatis emula].
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 169 Folware, yn manerys, or condycyons, imitator.
?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Aiiv Arte is folower of nature.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie i. i. 1 A Poet may in some sort be said a follower or imitator, because he can expresse the true and liuely of euery thing is set before him, and which he taketh in hand to describe.
1819 A. Rees et al. Cyclopædia XXXVI. at Valentine Like that artist..he was a faithful follower of nature.
d. colloquial. An admirer, suitor, wooer; esp. a man who is romantically involved with a female servant and calls at her employer's house to see her. Now historical.
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the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun] > male lover > man who courts a maidservant
follower1714
1714 Let. in J. Addison Spectator No. 573. ¶2 The first Impression of my undesigning Innocence was so strong in his Head, he attributed all my Followers to the inevitable Force of my Charms.
1761 Public Advertiser 17 Mar. (advt.) Wanted also a..motherly Woman, who..can do the usual Business of upper Servant.., one who can stay at home, and has no Followers.
1817 ‘Madame Panache’ Manners II. vi. 86 She had many followers, but Lord George Meredith was the only gentleman, who had yet openly professed himself to be her suitor.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xvi. 140 Five servants kept. No man. No followers.
1858 R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma xlv. 202 She granted them [sc. the servants] every indulgence..in having their followers.
1998 D. Pool What Jane Austen ate & Charles Dickens Knew (new ed.) 200 Maids with young male ‘followers’ were told to discourage them.
e. A person who takes an active interest in a particular activity, hobby, sport, etc. With of, specifying the activity.
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1814 Star 10 Dec. Lord Maynard..has now become a regular and established follower of greyhounds and attends the Coursing Meetings.
1881 C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork Mod. Homes iii. 151 A Japanese screen in the house is a liberal education to the follower of art-needlework.
1903 ‘O. Henry’ in Everybody's Mag. Feb. 172/1 ‘Cricket’ McGuire, ex-feather-weight prize-fighter, tout, jockey, follower of the ‘ponies’, all-round sport,..looked up pugnaciously.
1969 Guardian 27 Nov. 14/4 It is essential for any real follower of cinema to add to their bookcase of filmography.
2018 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 19 May 17 She's a keen follower of football—particularly her beloved team, Manchester United.
f. A person who follows (follow v. 13c) a particular person, group, etc., on a social media website or application.
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2006 @dom 23 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 8 Aug. 2018) Loving each of my six (6) followers.
2007 B. Solis www.briansolis.com 11 Mar. (blog, accessed 14 Sept. 2015) Each update is broadcast simultaneously to your ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ so that the conversation can travel across borders and oceans faster than any blog post.
2009 T. Weinberg New Community Rules vi. 143 TwitterCounter graphs how many followers you have.
2012 Econ. Times (India) (Nexis) 23 Oct. Create an ‘about me’ board on Pinterest & then use this site to share your other social network accounts with your Pinterest followers.
2. A thing which comes after something else in sequence or time; a person who or thing which succeeds someone or something else; a sequel, successor; a consequence.
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the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > succession or following in time > [noun] > successor
followereOE
successor1297
after-comera1382
nephewa1387
succedentc1440
succeederc1450
successary1486
sequacesa1513
incomer1526
subsequent1560
phoenixa1616
superseder?1774
supersessor1810
epigone1865
sequels in estate1889
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. xi. 80 Þa wende man þæt þæt gewin geendad wære betux Alexandres folgerum [L. inter successores Alexandri].
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 447 (MED) Þer ouȝte no man bi eny wit to do or bileeue eny þing contrarie to resoun..except þilk pointis and articlis and her sequelis or folewers whiche þou has schewid out bi reuelacioun of scripture.
c1454 R. Pecock Folewer to Donet 1 Here bigynneþ þe book y-callid ‘þe folewer to þe donet’.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Apol. Poetrie (1595) sig. G3v One word so as it were begetting another, as..by the former a man shall haue a neere gesse to the follower.
1660 T. Salusbury tr. D. Bartoli Learned Man defended & Reform'd ii. 253 Antiquity and Oblivion its follower, rendered many places unknown.
1765 J. Elphinston Princ. Eng. Lang. Digested I. vi. 126 Etymology and Analogy are somewhat divided about e feeble's place with r final; the former requiring the vowel to follow its closer, that is, to follow its follower.
1879 F. J. Furnivall Rep. Early Eng. Text Soc. 17 When the Catholicon is finisht, what its follower shall be can be discusst.
1984 Z. Sardar Touch of Midas p. viii Cultural democracy must be the logical follower of political, social and economic democracy.
2011 Jrnl. Egyptian Archaeol. 97 245 The pillaged scarab likewise referred to Shoshenq IV, the immediate follower of Shoshenq III.
3.
a. With reference to motion: a person or animal who follows behind someone or something; spec. a person who follows another in order to observe or monitor him or her.In quot. OE in figurative context, implying exemplarity of conduct in the person followed; compare sense 1b. In quot. a1450 there is some overlap with sense 1a.
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OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) v. 48 Forwel oft cymð se bæftan us, þe us mid swyftnysse godre drohtnunge forestæpð, and we earfoðlice him filiað tomerigen, se ðe nu todæg is ure folgere geðuht.
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) 118 It is nedful to be war þat þe scheltrun of þe oost ne be noȝt broke ne departid þoruȝ slow suynge of the foloweres..for ofte enemyes entreþ þere þey findeþ space opoun.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry f. 55 One spreadeth those bands, so in order to lye, as barley (in swathes,) may fill it thereby. which gathered vp, with the rake & the hand: the follower after hym, bindeth in band.
1616 J. Bingham in tr. Ælian Tactiks 134 One file is inserted into an other, man for man, so that the second File-leader becomes the follower of the first.
1694 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in Ann. Misc. 14 Clouds of Sand arise; Spurn'd, and cast backward on the follower's Eyes.
1785 G. Forster tr. A. Sparrman Voy. Cape Good Hope II. xiv. 181 A little bird, which flies on by degrees..and guides its followers to the bees' nest.
1922 H. Footner Ramshackle House vii. 155 Pen made several attempts to lose her follower in the crowds, but without avail.
2002 R. Miller Behind Lines iv. 92 On four occasions I was trailed but threw off my followers.
b. A person who pursues someone or something with intent to overtake and capture, harm, or kill; a pursuer. Also figurative.Perhaps simply a contextual use of 3a.
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the world > movement > progressive motion > order of movement > following behind > [noun] > pursuit > pursuer
pursuandc1350
pursuera1382
suera1425
followera1450
chaser1487
courser1590
pursuant1593
prosecutor1598
questrist1608
dogger1611
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) 150 (MED) Comynliche boþe þe wiþdrawere and eke þe folwere cacchiþ harmes and myshappes ylike.
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales iii. x. 105 Stealing by dangerous bie-waies, [he] beguiled his followers.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) i. iv. 23 Ah hearke, the fatall followers doe pursue. View more context for this quotation
1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. xi. 175 Now stiff recedes, yet hardly seems to fly, And threats his Followers with retorted Eye.
1837 M. G. Cooper Thamuta 48 Her fast foot o'erta'en By the still faster, surer, follower, Death!
1891 S. M. Burnham Struggles of Nations II. xviii. 666 General Shackleford was sent in pursuit, but Morgan eluded his followers for six days.
2007 M. Ridder Roots of Change 39 His followers caught him up, shouting with rage.
c. Australian Rules Football. Any of the players in a team who do not have fixed positions and so follow play all around the ground; = ruckman n. at ruck n.1 Compounds.
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1876 T. P. Power Footballer 11 Followers—Be always on the ball and don't hold it too long. Practise the punt and drop-kicks with both feet.
1930 W. S. Sharland Sporting Globe Football Bk. 42 A ruck is comprised of two followers and a rover.
2019 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 15 Aug. Many Geelong people believe Farmer, a 191-centimetre, left-footed skilful follower, was the best player to play the game.
d. In partner dancing: the person (traditionally a woman) a who follows the lead of the other dancer. Cf. leader n.1 Additions.
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1933 H. M. Conlon Technique of Social Dancing 11 The follower should remember to carry her own weight and not lean on her partner.
1999 Amateur Dancers July 6/2 The leader wraps his right arm around the follower's waist or mid-back. This hold is central to tango.
2018 V. Harman Sexual Politics of Ballroom Dancing (2019) iv. 76 In the advanced classes, men and women are regularly asked to walk through both the leader and follower steps, so they know what they need from each other in their respective roles.
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society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > party in litigation > [noun] > plaintiff
cravera1300
actora1325
askera1325
plaintiffa1325
plainer1340
challengera1382
pursuanta1393
follower1397
suer1423
pursuer1430
plainant1437
suitor1454
suit maker1469
complainant1495
plainandc1500
callerc1503
tabler1517
complaintiffc1533
complainer?1542
impleader1583
pledant1599
proceedera1618
querent1720
pulsator1730
demandeur1818
movant1875
rapper1904
1397 in W. Fraser Douglas Bk. (1885) III. 39 I wil at he be..principale foluar of al dettys to me aucht.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 28416 Wittnes foluar wit fals iustise.
1450 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1450/1/30 He salbe condampnit be the jugis in the expensis of the folowar.
1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem i. f. 102 Fra the follower haue founden borgh lawfullie, in the serjands hand.
5. Agriculture (Scottish, Welsh English, Irish English, English regional (northern and south-western) and Australian). A young domestic animal, esp. while still dependant on its mother. Frequently with reference to cattle and sheep.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > calf > [noun]
calfa800
follower1424
bostrell1559
calfling1598
moggiec1825
bossy1844
deacon1873
1424 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1424/25 The kow and hir folowaris..; ilk wilde merre with hir foloware.
1584 in W. Greenwell Wills & Inventories Registry Durham (1860) II. 105 The beste cowe I haue..with her follower.
c1686 Depredations Clan Campbell (1816) 61 1 bull, 2 mares and followers.
1798 in Old Church Life Ballingry (1890) 61 Six ewes and a ram and their followers, one broad sow and a boar and their followers, one broad goose and a ganner and their followers.
1885 Times 13 Oct. 13/2 The crofter paying £10 should be able to keep four cows with their followers.
2017 Arbroath Herald (Nexis) 28 Mar. The hill properties carry 1000 Blackface ewes and 100 cows and followers.
6. Mechanics.
a. In various kinds of presses: the block or plate by which the pressure is applied.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for altering dimensions > [noun] > press > parts of presses
worm1548
platen1594
follower1678
thrusting-screw1794
ram1816
1678 J. Worlidge Vinetum Britannicum (ed. 2) 119 The lower end of the Toothed Bar must be fixed into a Follower of Wood.
1860 All Year Round 14 Apr. 19 A proper ‘vat’ and ‘follower’ made of solid mahogany [for making cheese].
1882 J. Southward Pract. Printing 587 The piece [in a screw press] answering to the platen of a printing press is called the ‘follower’.
1918 Gleanings Bee Culture Feb. 84/1 The iron plate that goes on top of the follower is loose; and between pressings it is kept on the stove so that it helps to keep the wax melted until it is run out of the press.
2011 A. R. Gehring Back to Basics Handbk. iv. 232/1 Add the follower and weight with a brick. After 12 hours remove the cheese from the mold.
b. In a piledriver: (originally) †the movable block and tongs by which the hammer is lifted and let fall (obsolete); (in later use) a block of timber or other material placed between the hammer and the head of the pile.
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1764 J. Ferguson Lect. Select Subj. iv. 61 By the horses going round, the great rope H is wound about the drum C, and the ram Q is drawn up by the tongs F in the follower G.
1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 36 Fig. 2 is the Follower playing in its Grooves..Fig. 3..the Follower and Ram, seemingly just ready to engage one another.
1868 Minutes Proc. Inst. Civil Engineers 1867–8 27 277 The piles..had to be driven with a follower, which was made of very tough oak, and well banded at both ends.
1940 R. P. Davis in C. E. O'Rourke Gen. Engin. Handbk. (ed. 2) ix. 496 The upper end of the follower is held in position by the recessed base of the steam hammer.
2015 A. Jahr & T. Tefera in V. Meyer Frontiers Offshore Geotechnics III 1 575 Installation of the follower requires a pause in the pile driving and this period usually lasts from one to twenty hours.
c. A wheel that derives its motion from another wheel, esp. a driver or driving wheel.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun]
wheela1100
trendle1324
trindle?c1343
strindlec1500
follower1805
driver1819
dial wheel1841
1805 D. Brewster Ferguson's Lect. Mech. (new ed.) II. 82 In a combination of wheels, that which is acted upon by the power..is called a leader; and the other wheel on the same axis is called a follower.
1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 21 Lantern pinions work very smoothly as followers though they are unsuitable as drivers.
1910 Encycl. Brit. VI. 546/1 The tip of the driver is acting on the back part of the tooth of the follower.
1983 J. O. Bird & P. J. Chivers Newnes Physical Sci. Pocket Bk. for Engineers xviii. 89 The follower makes two revolutions for each revolution of the driver.
d. The part of a stuffing box (see stuffing-box n.) which compresses the packing material so as to form a seal.
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1834 Amer. Railroad Jrnl. 22 Mar. 163/3 Engineers have considered it important to form the projecting parts of the piston and follower so as to crowd the hemp outward against the cylinder, as the follower is screwed down to its place.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 900/2 Follower,..2. The cover or plug of a stuffing-box, which rests upon and compresses the packing. A gland.
1909 Pop. Mech. Dec. 823/2 When the follower is screwed down, it will expand the felt and make a watertight joint.
1995 M. W. Brown Seals & Sealing Handbk. (ed. 4) iii. 324 Allowing the follower to be withdrawn along the shaft and clear of the stuffing box.
2003 M. E. Brumbach & J. A. Clade Industr. Maintenance ix. 154/2 If there is an excessive amount of leakage, slowly tighten the follower until only the desired amount of leakage is present.
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1848 Law Times 6 May 21/3 Indentures..1s. 4d. each... Followers..1s. 2d. each.
1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 45 Followers, the following sheets after a heading—such as the ordinary plain-ruled paper used after the title-head of a long invoice.
1905 Pitman's Jrnl. 10 June 446/1 The second and all subsequent skins are described as ‘followers’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.eOE