Disguiser

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A character or individual who changes their outward presentation or identity in order to hide their actual self from others
2. An agent that modifies their appearance or persona to obscure their true identity and intentions from observation
3. Someone who changes how they look or act to keep their true identity secret

Etymology: The word is about as transparent as English gets: "disguise" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so a disguiser is simply one who disguises. "Disguise" itself came into English from Old French "desguisier", a verb meaning to change one's appearance or to dress differently, built from "des-" (a prefix that reverses or removes) and "guise" (manner, dress, appearance). The sense of the root is therefore close to "un-dressing" or "changing one's outward form." The suffix "-er" has been attached to English verbs since Old English to name the person or thing doing an action, as in "baker" or "singer." Adding it to "disguise" follows that same pattern, producing a noun for anyone who hides their identity through changed appearance or behaviour. Because the formation is so regular, the word has no separate history of its own; its meaning is fully carried by the two parts.

Synonyms: impersonator, transmuter, masker

Antonyms: revealer