Adherer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who physically attaches to a surface or remains committed to a certain ideology or organization
2. An individual who bonds with a material or steadfastly supports a particular philosophy or group
3. A person who sticks to a specific surface or loyally follows a set of beliefs or community

Etymology: "Adherer" is simply "adhere" with the agent suffix "-er" added, meaning one who adheres, a person who sticks by a cause, party, or leader. The verb it rests on comes from Latin "adhaerere," built from "ad-" ("to") and "haerere" ("to stick"), so the root image is literal physical clinging before it became a matter of loyalty. The suffix has its own long road. The Latin "-arius," which marked a person connected with something, passed through Old French "-ier" into Middle English "-er," and the same ending had already reached English through Old English "-ere." English therefore gave "adhere" a suffix that had been travelling alongside it for centuries, rather than inventing one.

Synonyms: follower, supporter, devotee, adherent, loyalist

Antonyms: dissenter, opponent, critic, rejector