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.

e'er

¹

/ ɛə /

adverb

1. See ever
   poetic.
   a contraction of ever

-eer

²

suffix

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

   engineer

   profiteer

   auctioneer

   mutineer

2. forming verbs to be concerned with something specified

   electioneer

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

Example Sentences

Byron in his day thought differently, for he sang: the most living crystal that was eer.

From Project Gutenberg

We'll take the steed out where he is, The gold where eer it be, And we'll away to some unco land, And married we shall be.

From Project Gutenberg

Her cap'n es Billy Coad, a man you may 'ave 'eer'd on, and wawn you would like to knaw.

From Project Gutenberg

Well, if eer I heard sic a stand-and-deliver-like speech since ever I was born,—exclaimed his grandmother.

From Project Gutenberg

He was an innocent poor man that wouldnt harm a child, besides being pleasant and agreeable as eer a one youd meet.

From Project Gutenberg