Expirer

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A person or thing that reaches an end point of operation or relevance is often referred to as being finished or expired
2. An individual or object that has passed the designated limit of effectiveness, thus becoming obsolete or invalid
3. A person who dies or stops living ; something that reaches its conclusion or stops functioning

Etymology: "Expirer" is simply "expire" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who or that which expires. The suffix itself has a long pedigree: it passed from Latin "-arius," through Old French "-ier," into Middle English "-er," and has been used to form person and thing nouns ever since. The more interesting story lies in "expire," which has moved a long way from its physical origins. Its base sense, from Latin "exspirare," was to breathe out, so that dying was originally imagined as the last breath leaving the body. From that image came the sense of something coming to an end, such as a contract, a period of time, or a license reaching its limit. The noun "expirer" therefore carries both meanings of the verb: the person whose breath has gone, and the thing whose term has run out.