ers

[ urs, airs ]

/ ɜrs, ɛərs /

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noun

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of ers

Middle French <Old Provençal <Late Latin ervus, variant of Latin ervum. See ervil

Other definitions for ers (2 of 3)

ERS

or E.R.S.

Emergency Radio Service.

Other definitions for ers (3 of 3)

-ers

a semantically empty suffix that creates informal variations of more neutral nouns and adjectives by processes of truncation identical to those of -er⁷ (champers; preggers; starkers); unlike that suffix, however, -ers is apparently productive, and words formed with it do not appear to belong to a restricted linguistic register, as university slang.

Origin of -ers

Perhaps a conflation of -er⁷ with the final element of bonkers and crackers in the sense “wild, crazy” (unless these words themselves contain this suffix); cf. -s³

How to use ers in a sentence

That said, there will be people that defend him—even some of his fellow NFL'ers.
Adrian Peterson’s ‘Whooping’ and Ray Rice’s Knockout Are Both Domestic Violence|Robert Silverman|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anti-vaxxers and anti-stem cell-ers come together, thanks to a recent paper linking autism to vaccines that use stem cells.
No, Stem Cells Don't Cause Autism|Kent Sepkowitz|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Rhode Island, amid HIPAA concerns, Glass is being used in ERs with dermatologists.
Google Glass Is Helping Doctors Save Lives. Maybe It’s Time to Reconsider the Poorly Received Technology.|Valerie Vande Panne|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suppose one believes, as many JVP-ers do, that it is morally wrong to establish a state wherein citizens are treated unequally.
Once Again, the Anti-Defamation League Defames|Jay Michaelson|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

A news reporter is shoving a microphone inches from his nose and asks about “TM-ers.”
David Lynch Discusses Transcendental Meditation in Los Angeles|Sean Macaulay|April 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Rang′ers, a body of mounted troops: a name sometimes taken by clubs of football players, &c.—ns.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Rick′ers, the stems of young trees cut up for spars, &c.—ns.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
The drop in the temperature was tremendous, but the ski-ers were jubilant.
Four Weird Tales|Algernon Blackwood
Bielokurov began to talk at length and with his drawling er-er-ers of the disease of the century—pessimism.
The House with the Mezzanine and Other Stories|Anton Tchekoff
I ain't got nothing to say against gals, but if I only lay my hands on that young brother of 'ers'
Ship's Company, The Entire Collection|W.W. Jacobs

British Dictionary definitions for ers

ERS

abbreviation for

earnings related supplement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012