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  • e'er
    e'er
    adverb
    contraction of ever.
  • EER
    EER
    abbreviation
  • -eer
    -eer
    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 ).

e'er

1 American  
[air] / ɛər /

adverb

Chiefly Literary.
  1. contraction of ever.


EER 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. energy efficiency ratio.


-eer 3 American  
  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 ).


-eer 1 British  

suffix

  1. (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

"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

e'er 2 British  
/ ɛə /

adverb

  1. poetic a contraction of ever

"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

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of -eer

< 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)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He sä mi vun Lev un vun Himmel un Eer, He sä mi vun allens—ik weet ni mal mehr!

From Chips From A German Workshop. Vol. III. Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities by Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)

Wak op du Dunner, un week de Eer!

From Chips From A German Workshop. Vol. III. Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities by Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)

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