Laster

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or machine that shapes or forms materials by using a mold or form; someone or something that continues or endures over a period; an entity that applies pressure or compacts substances into shape
2. An individual or device responsible for molding or shaping objects according to a specific design; one that remains persistent or durable through time; an apparatus that exerts force to form materials
3. An operator or equipment used to create shapes by fitting materials to a mold; something characterized by endurance or prolonged existence; a tool used to press or shape materials consistently

Etymology: A laster is a worker who shapes shoes over a last, the wooden or metal form that gives a shoe its outline. The word is built from "last," the Old English "lǣste," meaning the footprint or track of a foot, which came to mean the foot-shaped form used in making shoes. That sense of "last" is the older one: in Old English the same root gave the idea of following a track, and the shoemaking tool was named for the shape it leaves behind. The "-er" ending is the common English suffix for a person who performs an action, which is why the agent noun is formed directly on "last." English took the suffix through Middle English "-er" from Old French "-ier," itself from Latin "-arius," a suffix denoting a person connected with a trade or occupation.

Synonyms: finisher, closer, completer

Antonyms: starter, beginner, initiator