-ier

¹ American  

1. variant of -er, usually in nouns designating trades.

   collier; clothier; furrier; glazier.

---

-ier ² American  

1. a noun suffix occurring mainly in loanwords from French, often simply a spelling variant of -eer, with which it is etymologically identical (bombardier; brigadier; financier; grenadier ); it is also found on an older and semantically more diverse group of loanwords that have stress on the initial syllable (barrier; courier; courtier; terrier ). Recent loanwords from French may maintain the modern French pronunciation with loss of the final r sound (croupier; dossier; hotelier ).

---

-ier British  

suffix

1. a variant of -eer

   brigadier

---

Etymology

Origin of -ier¹

Middle English -ier ( e ), variant of -yer ( e ) ( -yer ), equivalent to -i- v. stem ending + -ere -er ¹, probably reinforced by Old French -ier < Latin -ārius -ary ( soldier )

Origin of -ier²

< French, Old French < Latin -ārius, -āria, -ārium -ary; -aire, -eer, -er ²

Example Sentences

NOTE.—This suffix is found only in words of French-Latin origin. -eer   -ier = one who engin-eer   brigad-ier   one who has charge of an engine. one who has charge of a brigade.

From New Word-Analysis Or, School Etymology of English Derivative Words by Swinton, William

The ending -er, -ier represents the Lat. -arius.

From The Romance of Names by Weekley, Ernest

The ending -ier in the Present Infinitive Passive; as, amārier, monērier, dīcier, for amārī, monērī, dīcī. b.

From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)

Race, vb. to tear away, snatch 22.72; OF. racher, -ier, from arrachier.

From Erthe Upon Erthe by Various

The latter ending, corresponding to Modern Fr. -eur, represents Lat. -or, -orem, but we tack it onto English words as in "sailor," or substitute it for -er, -ier, as in Fermor, for Farmer, Fr. fermier.

From The Romance of Names by Weekley, Ernest