Eater

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈiː.tɚ/

Definitions

1. An entity that consumes organic matter to survive A person or organism defined by specific dietary choices when feeding A creature that engages in the intake of food for growth and energy
2. A living being that ingests food to obtain nutrients and energy ; an individual identified by their particular style or preference in consuming food
3. Any creature that takes in sustenance through eating ; a human distinguished by distinctive eating behavior or taste

Etymology: The word has an unusual double life in its Old English ancestor. "Etere" meant simply one who eats, but the same noun could also mean something eaten, in the sense of food fit to be consumed, so the form covered both the eater and the eaten. English kept the agent sense and the suffix does the work: "eat" plus "-er," the common ending that turns an action into the person or thing performing it. Middle English "eter" and "etere" carried that Old English form forward, so the word has been in the language for many centuries in close to its present shape. Its spelling settled into "eater" only later, as the vowel and final consonant changed and the modern pattern took hold.

Synonyms: consumer, devourer, muncher

Antonyms: fast, abstainer