Harbourer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who gives shelter, refuge or concealment to another, especially a fugitive or someone hiding from the law
2. Someone who provides a hiding place or protection for a person or thing that others want to find or capture
3. The one who keeps a fugitive or unwanted guest safe from discovery by giving them refuge and secrecy

Etymology: "Harbourer" is a plain formation: the noun "harbour" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, meaning one who harbours, shelters or hides someone. What makes it worth a look is the older spelling family it came through. In Middle English it appeared as "herberer", "harberer", "herberour" and "herborewer", and the "-er" ending had been used to form person-nouns for centuries before that, so the word simply follows an established pattern. The base word itself carries the surprise. "Harbour" once meant a shelter or lodging in general, not a place for ships, and the sea sense came later. The "-er" suffix turns that older idea of providing shelter into a person who provides it, so "harbourer" originally described someone who gave lodging or refuge.

Synonyms: host, shelterer, concealer