e'er

¹

[ air ]

adverb

Chiefly Literary.

1. contraction of ever.

EER

²

abbreviation for

1. energy efficiency ratio.

-eer

³

1. a noun-forming suffix occurring originally in loanwords from French ( buccaneer; mutineer; pioneer ) and productive in the formation of English nouns denoting persons who produce, handle, or are otherwise significantly associated with the referent of the base word ( auctioneer; engineer; mountaineer; pamphleteer ); now frequently pejorative ( profiteer; racketeer ). Compare -ary, -er ², -ier ².

-eer

¹

suffix

1. forming nouns indicating a person who is concerned with or who does something specified

   mutineer

   engineer

   auctioneer

   profiteer

2. forming verbs to be concerned with something specified

   electioneer

e'er

²

/ ɛə /

adverb

1. poetic.
   a contraction of ever

Word History and Origins

Origin of e'er¹

< French, Middle French -ier ( Old French < Latin -ārius -ary as suffix of personal nouns); in some nouns replacing earlier suffixes ( engineer, charioteer ) or the French suffix -aire -aire ( musketeer, volunteer )

Word History and Origins

Origin of e'er¹

from Old French -ier, from Latin -arius -ary

Words That Use -eer

What does -eer mean?

The suffix -eer is used to denote nouns, and specifically nouns denoting people who produce, handle, or are otherwise associated with the first element of the word. It is often used in everyday and technical terms.

The form -eer comes from Middle French -ier, a suffix denoting personal nouns, which comes from Latin -ārius, with the same sense. To learn more, check out our entry for the suffix -ary.

What are variants of -eer?

While not a variant of -eer per se, -eer is related to the suffix -aire, also from French, which denotes a person characterized or occupied by the stem, as in millionaire.

Examples of -eer

One example of a word you may be familiar with that uses the suffix -eer is profiteer, “a person who seeks or exacts exorbitant profits, especially through the sale of scarce or rationed goods.”

The word profit- means “returns, proceeds, or revenue.” As we have seen, -eer denotes a person who produces. Profiteer literally translates to “a person who produces revenue.”

What are some words that use the combining form -eer?

• auctioneer
• musketeer
• pamphleteer
• privateer
• racketeer
• volunteer (using the equivalent form of -eer in French)

What are some other forms that -eer may be commonly confused with?

• -ee
• –ern
• -ier

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -eer, such as steer or queer, is necessarily using the suffix -eer to denote a noun. Learn why queer means “gay or lesbian” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

Given the meaning of the suffix –eer, what does auctioneer mean?