English
eater
Eater comes from Middle English eter, and goes back to Old English etere.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150etere
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eter
- Englishearliest quotation 1886eater
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150etere
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eter
- Englishearliest quotation 1886eater
Earliest quotation: 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Folk and Fairy Tales: “He is the right sort of man for a…”
Formed from eat + -er
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’
…
Proto-Germanic *etaną ‘to eat’
Proto-West Germanic *etan ‘to eat’
Old English etan ‘to eat’
Middle English eten ‘to eat’
English eat
Every English word from Old English etere
Today it means
noun A person or animal who eats.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English etere / eater