passer

The word 'passer' is a transparent agent noun formation from the verb 'pass'. The core verb 'pass' has a rich journey, deriving from the Latin noun 'passus', meaning a step or pace, which itself evolved from the past participle of 'pandere', meaning to stretch or spread out. The agent suffix '-er' is one of the most productive in English, directly indicating 'one who does'. Therefore, a 'passer' logically signifies 'one who passes' or 'one who goes by', a meaning that has been extended into specific contexts like sports to denote a player who throws the ball.

Structure: pass (to go by) + er (agent suffix) 'pass' originates from Middle English 'passen', from Old French 'passer', from Vulgar Latin 'passāre', from Latin 'passus' meaning 'step, pace'. 'er' is an agentive suffix from Old English '-ere', from Proto-Germanic '-ārijaz', used to form nouns denoting a person or thing performing an action.