Dibber

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A pointed instrument designed for creating holes in the ground serves the purpose of planting seeds by enabling the efficient sowing of plants
2. A pointed tool used to create small holes in soil for inserting seeds or seedlings
3. An instrument crafted to puncture earth, facilitating the placement of seeds during gardening

Etymology: The English word "dib" is an older verb meaning to dip or to make a small hole in the ground, and the tool gets its name simply by adding the agent suffix "-er" to it. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the verb: it descends through Old English "-ere" and Old French "-ier" from the Latin "-arius", which the Romans used to name people connected with a trade or task, and it entered English through Middle English "-er". So a dibber is, in effect, a thing that does the dibbing. The verb itself is the simpler story. "Dib" is a plain English word with an obvious sound that suits its action, and it has been used for centuries with the sense of pressing a pointed object into soil. The tool follows the same pattern as many other English implements named by adding "-er" to a verb, such as a rake named for raking or a scraper named for scraping.