gazetteer
UK[ˌɡæzəˈtɪə(r)]US[ˌɡæzəˈtɪr]
n
a list or a book of names of places, often with information about them
n
a journalist, especially one appointed and paid by the government (archaic)
Morpheme Breakdown
gazette
eer
gazette
eer
one who is concerned with or engaged in
Etymology
the word 'gazetteer' has a fascinating journey from commerce to journalism to geography. it originates from the italian 'gazzetta', the name of a small venetian coin, which was also the price of an early news-sheet, leading 'gazette' to mean a newspaper. the agent suffix '-eer' (from french '-ier') was added to create 'gazetteer', initially meaning 'a writer for a gazette' or 'a journalist'. in the 18th century, the meaning shifted when lawrence echard published "the gazetteer's: or, a journalist's interpreter", a geographical index intended as a tool for journalists, after which the term became permanently associated with geographical dictionaries.
Analysis
Structure: gazette + eer
gazette (from italian 'gazzetta', a small coin, later a news-sheet; a newspaper), eer (from french '-ier', via middle english '-er', an agent suffix meaning 'one who is concerned with or engaged in')
Examples
the historical gazetteer provided detailed entries on every village in the county.
for her research, she consulted a comprehensive world gazetteer.
in the 17th century, a gazetteer was often a government-appointed news writer.