adjuster
UK[əˈdʒʌstə(r)]US[əˈdʒʌstər]
n
a person whose job is to assess insurance claims and decide how much should be paid.
n
a device or mechanism used for making small changes to the position, tension, or setting of something.
Morpheme Breakdown
adjust
er
adjust
to arrange, adapt
er
Etymology
the word "adjuster" is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the verb "adjust" which entered english in the late 17th century. "adjust" itself originates from the old french "ajuster", a verb meaning to put things right or arrange, which derived from vulgar latin adiuxtare, meaning "to bring near". this latin construction combined the prefix ad- ("to") with iuxta ("near, close to"), conveying the literal sense of moving something closer to a correct position. by adding the agentive suffix "-er", the noun "adjuster" was created to specifically denote a person or device that performs the action of adjusting, bringing things into proper order or alignment, whether in the context of insurance claims or mechanical settings.
Analysis
Structure: adjust + er
- adjust: from old french 'ajuster', meaning "to arrange, adapt". of latin origin via vulgar latin adiuxtare, from latin ad- ("to") + iuxta ("near").
- er: from old english -ere, a suffix forming agent nouns indicating "a person or thing that performs an action".
Examples
the insurance adjuster inspected the damage to the vehicle after the accident.
turn the small adjuster on the side of the lamp to change the angle of the light.
she worked as a claims adjuster for a major property insurance company.