erə, ər(interj.)

1. (used to express or represent a pause, hesitation, uncertainty, etc.)

ER

1. efficiency report.

2. emergency room.

Er^*

1. erbium.

   Category: Chemistry

^* Chem. Symbol..

-er

1. a noun suffix occurring in loanwords from French in the Middle English period, most often names of occupations (butcher; carpenter; grocer; mariner; officer), but also other nouns (corner; danger; primer).

   Category: Common Vocabulary, Affix

Origin of -er:

ME < AF -er, OF -ier < L -ārius, -ārium. Cf. -ary , -eer , -ier2

-er

1. a termination of nouns denoting action or process, occurring orig. and predominantly in loanwords from French or Anglo-French:

   dinner; rejoinder; remainder.

   Category: Affix

Origin of -er:

< AF or OF, orig. inf. suffix -er, -re

-er

1. a suffix regularly used in forming the comparative degree of adjectives:

   harder; smaller.

   Category: Affix

Origin of -er:

ME -er(e), -re, OE -ra, -re; c. G -er

-er

1. a suffix regularly used in forming the comparative degree of adverbs:

   faster.

   Category: Affix

Origin of -er:

ME -er(e), -re, OE -or; c. OHG -or

-er

1. a formative appearing in verbs having frequentative meaning:

   flicker; flutter; shiver; shudder.

   Category: Affix

Origin of -er:

ME; OE -r-; c. G -(e)r-

-er

1. Chiefly Brit. a suffix that creates informal or jocular mutations of more neutral words, which are typically clipped to a single syllable before application of the suffix, and sometimes subjected to other phonetic alterations: bed-sitter; fresher; rugger; soccer.

   Category: Common Vocabulary, Affix

   Ref: Compare -ers. 3

Origin of -er:

prob. modeled on nonagentive uses of -er1; said to have first become current in University College, Oxford, 1875–80

E.R.

1. emergency room.