1. Etym: [AS. -ere; akin to L. -arius.]
Defn: The termination of many English words, denoting the agent; —
applied either to men or things; as in hater, farmer, heater, grater.
At the end of names of places, -er signifies a man of the place; as,
Londoner, i. e., London man.
2. Etym: [AS. -ra; akin to G. -er, Icel. -are, -re, Goth. -iza, -, L. -ior, Gr. -iyas.]
Defn: A suffix used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs; as, warmer, sooner, lat(e)er, earl(y)ier.
ERA
E"ra, n.; pl. Eras. Etym: [LL. aera an era, in earlier usage, the
items of an account, counters, pl. of aes, aeris, brass, money. See
Ore.]
1. A fixed point of time, usually an epoch, from which a series of years is reckoned. The foundation of Solomon's temple is conjectured by Ideler to have been an era. R. S. Poole.
2. A period of time reckoned from some particular date or epoch; a succession of years dating from some important event; as, the era of Alexander; the era of Christ, or the Christian era (see under Christian). The first century of our era. M. Arnold.
3. A period of time in which a new order of things prevails; a signal
stage of history; an epoch.
Painting may truly be said to have opened the new era of culture. J.
A. Symonds.
Syn.
— Epoch; time; date; period; age; dispensation. See Epoch.
ERADIATE
E*ra"di*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Eradiated; p. pr. & vb. n.
Eradiating.] Etym: [Pref. e- + radiate.]