browser
UK[ˈbraʊzə(r)]US[ˈbraʊzər]
n
A computer program that is used to find and look at information on the internet.
n
A person who looks at goods in a shop or at things in an exhibition without intending to buy anything.
Morpheme Breakdown
brows
er
brows
to look
er
agent suffix
Etymology
The word 'browser' is a modern agent noun formed from the verb 'browse'. The verb 'browse' entered English in the 15th century from the Middle French 'brouster', meaning to nibble or feed on buds, a sense still used for animals grazing. By the 19th century, this metaphor extended to humans looking casually through books or goods in a leisurely, grazing manner. With the advent of personal computing, this metaphor was perfectly adapted in the 1990s to describe software that allows a user to navigate and "graze" through information on the World Wide Web, giving us the primary modern meaning.
Analysis
Structure: brows (to look) + er (agent suffix)
- brows: Derived from the verb 'browse', which originates from the Middle French 'brouster' (to nibble, feed on buds), related to Old French 'brost' (young shoot). Its functional role is the core action.
- er: An agentive suffix of Old English origin, used to form nouns denoting a person or thing that performs the action of the verb.
Examples
I need to update my web browser for better security.
She was just a browser in the bookstore, flipping through magazines for an hour.
The new browser has a much faster page-loading engine.