eraser
UK[ɪˈreɪzə(r)]US[ɪˈreɪsər]
n
a small piece of rubber or a similar substance used for removing pencil or pen marks from paper.
Morpheme Breakdown
e
ras
er
e
out
ras
scrape
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'eraser' is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the verb 'erase'. the core of the word comes from the latin verb 'radere', meaning 'to scrape' or 'to scratch', which evolved into the latin 'erasus', the past participle of 'eradere' (to scrape out). the prefix 'e-', a variant of 'ex-', intensifies the meaning to 'scrape out' or 'remove'. this latinate root entered english via french. the agent suffix '-er' was then appended in english, following a common pattern for tools (like 'cutter' or 'blender'), to create a noun for an object that performs the action of erasing. thus, an eraser is literally 'a thing that scrapes out' marks.
Analysis
Structure: e (out) + ras (scrape) + er (agent suffix)
e- (prefix, from latin 'ex-', meaning 'out'); ras (root, from latin 'radere', meaning 'to scrape'); -er (suffix, from old english '-ere', an agent noun suffix indicating a person or thing that performs an action).
Examples
she used a pink eraser to correct the mistake in her homework.
the end of his pencil was chewed, and the eraser was completely worn down.
for ink stains, a special ink eraser is more effective than a standard rubber one.