plotter

the word 'plotter' is formed from the noun 'plot' combined with the agent suffix '-er'. the core term 'plot' has an interesting semantic evolution. it originally entered english from germanic languages with the concrete meaning of a small area of ground. this sense of a defined, bounded space evolved metaphorically into the outline of a story or plan, and further into a secret scheme. the addition of the '-er' suffix, a common germanic agent-noun formative, creates a word that literally means "one who makes a plot." this efficiently describes both a person who devises secret plans and, by later technological analogy, a machine that draws charts or graphs, which are essentially visual 'plans' or outlines.

Structure: plot (plan/chart) + er (agent suffix) plot (from middle english 'plot', meaning a small piece of ground, later a plan or scheme; of germanic origin). er (agent-forming suffix, from old english '-ere', of germanic origin).