Diver

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdaɪ̯və(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. An individual engaged in subaqueous activities, utilizing specialized gear for exploration or labor, as well as a creature that dives into water to seize prey
2. A person using underwater apparatus for exploration or tasks below the water's surface, alongside an animal that submerges to capture food from aquatic environments
3. One who swims beneath the surface of water using special breathing gear ; a water-dwelling creature that plunges below to hunt or catch food

Etymology: The word "diver" is about as transparent as English gets: it is the verb "dive" with the agent suffix "-er" added, meaning simply "one who dives." The suffix has a long ancestry of its own. It traces back through Old English "-ere," which descends from Latin "-arius," a suffix that marked a person connected with a job or activity, and it arrived in English partly through Old French "-ier," which had taken the same Latin ending. The verb "dive" is the more interesting half of the story. Its ancestors meant to plunge or sink, and the idea of going headfirst into water grew out of that general sense of downward movement. The noun "diver" therefore names someone defined by a motion, not by a trade or station, which is why the same suffix sits comfortably on "dive" as it does on "bake" or "lend."

Synonyms: scuba diver, deep-sea diver