e'er

¹

[air]

adverb

Chiefly Literary.

1. contraction of ever.

EER

²

abbreviation

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 ).

-eer

¹

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

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

Example Sentences

“Nothing wrong with a bit of eer!” says the perpetually cheerful Theo.

From New York Times

Aisha Randhawa misspelled “cuirassier,” a mounted soldier wearing a cuirass, a piece of armor covering the body from neck to waist, ending the word in “eer” instead of “ier.”

From Los Angeles Times

His work, as both a participant and audience, has defined and shaped me on my own journies and carr@eer trajectory.

From Los Angeles Times

I’m sorry Eliz Johnson was frustrated by some cryptic clues in a recent crossword puzzle, but the examples she gave in her May 19 Free for All letter, “Don’t lend me your eer,” — e.g.,

From Washington Post

A. Eer; Q. Prunes, A. Lops; Q. Contest where anglers compete while jogging on the shore?

From Washington Post

When To Use

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.