Where does “roper” come from?
roper (Middle English) comes from Middle English -ere, from Old English -ere, from Proto-West Germanic -ārī, from Proto-Germanic -ārijaz, from Latin -ārius, from Proto-Italic *-āzios.
Ancestry of “roper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | -ere | — |
| 2 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 5 | Latin | -ārius | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | — |