farmer
UK[ˈfɑːmə(r)]US[ˈfɑːrmər]
n
a person who owns or manages a farm.
n
a person who cultivates a particular crop or raises a particular kind of animal.
Morpheme Breakdown
farm
er
farm
cultivate land
er
one who does
Etymology
the word 'farmer' has a journey from the concept of stability to cultivation. its core, 'farm', originates from the latin verb 'firmare', meaning 'to make firm or settle'. this evolved through medieval latin 'firma', referring to a fixed payment, and into old french as 'ferme', denoting a lease or rented piece of land. the english suffix '-er', an ancient agentive marker, was attached to this noun to create 'farmer', literally meaning 'one who holds or works on a leased piece of settled land'. over time, the focus shifted from the contractual agreement to the primary activity conducted on that land: agriculture.
Analysis
Structure: farm (cultivate land) + er (one who does)
farm (from latin 'firmare', meaning 'to make firm, settle, confirm', via old french 'ferme', meaning 'rent, lease, farm') + er (old english agent noun suffix, meaning 'a person or thing that does something').
Examples
the farmer gets up before dawn to milk the cows.
she is a successful organic farmer who supplies local restaurants.
many farmers were concerned about the impact of the drought on their crops.