释义 |
-eer
-eersuff. One associated with, concerned with, or engaged in: balladeer. [French -ier, from Old French, from Latin -ārius, -ary.]-eer or -iersuffix1. (forming nouns) indicating a person who is concerned with or who does something specified: auctioneer; engineer; profiteer; mutineer. 2. (forming verbs) to be concerned with something specified: electioneer. [from Old French -ier, from Latin -arius -ary]EER energy efficiency ratio. e'er (ɛər) adv. Chiefly Literary. ever. [1595–1605] -eer a noun-forming suffix occurring orig. in loanwords from French (buccaneer; mutineer; pioneer) and productive in the formation of English nouns denoting persons who produce, handle, or are otherwise associated with the referent of the base word (auctioneer; engineer; mountaineer; pamphleteer); now frequently pejorative (profiteer; racketeer). Compare -ary, -er2, -ier2. [< French, Middle French -ier (Old French < Latin -ārius -ary as suffix of personal nouns); in some nouns replacing earlier suffixes (see engineer, charioteer) or the French suffix -aire -aire (see musketeer, volunteer)] EncyclopediaSeeEER |