examiner
UK[ɪɡˈzæm.ɪ.nər]US[ɪɡˈzæm.ə.nər]
n
a person whose job is to test someone's knowledge or ability, especially in an educational context.
n
a person who inspects or investigates something officially.
Morpheme Breakdown
examin
er
examin
to test
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'examiner' has a layered history. its core, 'examin-', originates from the latin verb 'examinare', meaning to weigh, test, or ponder, which itself derives from 'examen', meaning the tongue of a balance, and thus a means of weighing or testing. this latin root passed into old french as 'examiner' before entering middle english. the agent suffix '-er', of germanic origin, was then appended to form a noun denoting a person who conducts the action of examining. the semantic journey is vivid: from the physical image of weighing on a balance scale to the abstract process of testing knowledge or conducting an official inspection.
Analysis
Structure: examin (to test) + er (agent suffix)
examin (from latin 'examinare', meaning to weigh, test, or consider; functions as the verb root) + er (from old english '-ere', an agent noun suffix indicating a person who performs an action)
Examples
the examiner marked the test papers carefully.
she worked as a customs examiner at the port.
candidates must wait quietly until the examiner calls their name.