Admonishers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who offer counsel or express disapproval to correct behavior
2. Those who provide warnings and serve to guide others by enforcing rules or expectations
3. People who give strong advice or rebuke to help others improve their behavior

Etymology: "Admonisher" is simply "admonish" with the agent suffix "-er", meaning one who admonishes, or in this case people who warn or reprove. The suffix itself has a long pedigree: it traces back through Old English "-ere" and the Latin "-arius", which denoted a person connected with a trade or role, and it passed into English through Old French "-ier" and Middle English "-er". Most English words ending in "-er" for people are built this way, so the suffix does most of the work here. The base, "admonish", is the more interesting part. It came into English from Old French "amonester", which was itself drawn from Latin "admonere", literally "to remind" or "to bring to mind", built from "ad-" (toward) and "monere" (to warn or advise). The Latin root is the same one behind "monitor", a reminder that the original sense of warning carried a gentle, corrective edge rather than outright scolding.

Synonyms: cautioners, warners, advisers