Lacers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who tie or fasten things using thin strips of material ; devices employed to bind or secure objects ; small components designed to thread through eyelets for closure
2. Individuals who tighten or secure items by threading narrow bands through holes ; tools or elements used to close or attach parts ; objects utilized for fastening or holding together by weaving through openings
3. Persons engaged in fastening or adjusting by passing slender strips through openings ; means for securing or tightening by looping material ; components intended to close or join sections through threading mechanisms

Etymology: "Lacer" is a straightforward formation: the noun "lace" with the agent suffix "-er," so a lacer is one who laces, and "lacers" is simply its plural, meaning people who fasten or tie. The meaning of the base word is the more telling part. "Lace" comes from Old French "laz," meaning a snare or noose, which in turn traces back to Latin "laqueus," a noose or trap. The fastening sense of "lace" grew out of that idea of a cord that binds, so the modern word for an ornamental fabric and the word for a tied cord share one ancestor. The suffix does the same kind of work it does in many English agent nouns, descending from Latin "-arius," which denoted a person connected with a trade or activity. Its path into English runs through Old English "-ere" and Middle English "-er," so "lacer" is built from very old native material on a Latin-derived ending. The result is a plain, transparent word whose parts each carry a clear history.

Synonyms: laces, snipers, cutters