Cheerers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of people who vocally express encouragement and enthusiasm for competitors or entertainment performers
2. A gathering of supporters who display their excitement and positive energy through cheers and chants during events
3. Individuals who loudly show approval and support for participants in sports or performances

Etymology: "Cheerers" is simply the plural of "cheerer", a word built from "cheer" with the suffix "-er", which marks a person who does something. The noun "cheer" itself arrived in English from Old French "chiere", meaning face or countenance, which in turn came from late Latin "cara", a word for face. So the original idea was closer to someone's expression than to any shouting, and a cheerful face gradually came to stand for good spirits and then for applause and encouragement. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the word it attaches to. The "-er" ending descends from Latin "-arius", which denoted a person connected with a trade or activity, and it passed through Old English and Middle English before becoming a productive English ending. Attaching it to "cheer" produced an agent noun for someone who cheers, and the plural "cheerers" names a group of such people, the crowd at a match or rally.

Synonyms: supporters, fans, enthusiasts, admirers, applauders

Antonyms: critics, detractors, opposers, adversaries