Locaters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device or instrument designed to identify or mark a specific location
2. Individuals or objects that help in finding or determining positions within a particular space
3. Tools or systems used in navigation or mapping to assist in locating places or features

Etymology: "Locaters" is the plural of "locater," a device for locating things. The word is simply "locate" with the agent suffix "-er" added, so it names a thing that locates. The suffix has a long pedigree: it traces back through Proto-Italic and Latin "-arius," which denoted a person or thing connected with something, passed into Old French as "-ier," and reached Middle English as "-er," with a parallel line of descent through the Germanic "-ari-" into Old English "-ere." Because "locate" itself is a borrowing from Latin "locare," meaning "to place," the word combines an inherited English ending with a Latin stem, a pattern common in modern English technology terms. The "-er" suffix is the familiar one found in words like "finder" or "opener," so the formation is transparent to any English speaker.

Synonyms: locators, finders, detectors, trackers, spotters