Etymology

-ier

Today it means: spelling of the suffix sequence -y followed by -er, or of any word ending in -(e)y suffixed with -er. Full definition →

Middle English -ier ← French -ier
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-ier · suffix1

From -y + -er.

-ier · suffix2

  1. French · borrowed from-ier
  2. Middle English · inherited from-ier
  3. English today-ier

From Middle English -ier, -iere from verbs ending in -ien + -ere, later extended to form other nouns (e.g. Middle English clothyer, glasiere, lovier, tiliere). Later reinforced by Middle French and modern French -ier, largely in words more recently borrowed from or influenced by French (e.g. cashier, financier, etc.). Doublet of -ar, -ary, -eer, and -yer.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.