Etymology

-yer

Today it means: Agent suffix, equivalent to -er, appended to some nouns (especially those ending in the letter "w" or "v"). Full definition →

Middle English -iere ← Old French -ier
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The story

  1. Old French · derived from-ier
  2. Middle English · inherited from-iere
  3. English today-yer

Inherited from Middle English -iere, probably from -ien (infinitival suffix) + -ere (agent noun); i.e. nouns in -ere built on verbs in -ien; possibly reinforced by Old French -ier once -ie- became a rising diphthong. More at -ier, -er.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.