driver
UK[ˈdraɪvə]US[ˈdraɪvər]
n
a person who drives a vehicle
n
a person who drives animals
n
a golf club with a flat face and a long shaft, used for hitting the ball from the tee
n
a piece of software that controls a particular type of hardware connected to a computer
Morpheme Breakdown
drive
er
drive
to propel, urge forward, pursue
er
Etymology
The word 'driver' is a transparent English compound formed from the verb 'drive' and the agentive suffix '-er'. The verb 'drive' originates from the Proto-Germanic drībaną, meaning "to push, drive, or chase," which itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root dʰreibʰ-, "to drive, push." The suffix '-er' is a common Germanic agent-noun formative. Thus, the literal construction "one who drives" has remained semantically stable from its Old English origins, though its applications have expanded from herding animals to operating vehicles and, metaphorically, to software components that control hardware.
Analysis
Structure: drive + er
drive (from Old English drīfan, meaning "to propel, urge forward, pursue"); er (agent noun suffix from Old English -ere, indicating "one who does or works with")
Examples
The bus driver announced the next stop.
She is a very cautious driver in snowy conditions.
You may need to update the printer driver for it to work with the new operating system.