Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “abuser” come from?

Abuser comes from English abuse plus the agent suffix -er, with abuse deriving from Old French abuser, formed from Old French ab- (from Latin ab-, meaning "away from") combined with Latin -usare (a frequentative of Latin -are).

abuser (English): One who abuses someone or something; One who uses...

Definitions

  1. One who abuses someone or something; One who uses...

Ancestry of “abuser”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishabuseImproper treatment or usage; application to a...
2Middle Englishabusen—
3Old Frenchabusexcess; abuse
4Latinabūsus—
5Latinabūtor—
6Latinūtor—
7Proto-Slavic*ǫtorъ—
8Proto-Slavictorъ—
9Proto-Slavictertito rub, to scrape; to polish
10Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “abuser”

  • nonabuser
  • polyabuser
  • coabuser
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →