Where does “reaper” come from?
Reaper comes from Middle English reper, from Old English rīpere, an agent noun meaning one who reaps or harvests grain.
reaper (English): One who reaps; a person employed to harvest crops...
Definitions
- One who reaps; a person employed to harvest crops...
Ancestry of “reaper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | reper | — |
| 2 | English | rapper | One who, or that which, raps or knocks; A... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |