igniter
UK[ɪɡˈnaɪtə]US[ɪɡˈnaɪtər]
n
a device used to start a fire or ignite a fuel mixture, as in an engine or furnace.
n
a person or thing that causes something to start burning or to begin.
Morpheme Breakdown
ign
ite
er
ign
fire
ite
verb suffix
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'igniter' is built upon the latin root 'ignis', meaning fire, which can be traced back to the proto-indo-european root egni-, also signifying fire. the latin verb 'ignire' (to set on fire) was formed from this root, and its frequentative form 'ignitare' (to kindle) provided the basis for the english verb 'ignite'. by adding the agent suffix '-er' to 'ignite', english creates a noun that logically denotes a device or person responsible for initiating combustion. thus, the term's evolution from a concrete concept of fire to an abstract agent of ignition is clearly mapped through its constituent parts.
Analysis
Structure: ign (fire) + ite (verb suffix) + er (agent suffix)
ign (from latin 'ignis', meaning 'fire'), ite (a verb-forming suffix from latin '-itare'), er (an english agent noun suffix indicating a person or thing that performs an action).
Examples
the mechanic replaced the faulty igniter in the boiler.
the activist was seen as an igniter of social change.
press the button on the gas grill's igniter to start it.