Implorers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who earnestly beg or request something
2. people who plead passionately for assistance or support
3. those who seek help in a desperate and emotional manner

Etymology: The plural of "implorer", which is simply someone who implores. The noun is built from the verb "implore" plus the agent suffix "-er", the ending that turns a verb into a word for a person doing the action, as in "teacher" or "singer." The verb "implore" came into English from Latin "implorare," meaning to call upon with tears or to beg for something, built from "in-" and "plorare," to weep aloud, so the core of the idea is weeping for help. The "-er" ending has a longer journey. It descends from Latin "-arius," which passed through Old French "-ier" and reached English as Middle English "-er." Its older roots run back through Germanic forms, and Old English already had a related ending, "-ere," used for the same purpose. Because the suffix was so productive, English speakers could attach it to almost any verb, which is why "implorer" feels so ordinary today even though its ingredients come from a Latin verb about crying out.