Neatener

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Something or someone that makes a space, object, or appearance orderly and clean
2. A person or tool that brings tidiness and organization to something previously messy
3. An agent or instrument that arranges or improves neatness in an area or item

Etymology: Neat, the adjective, started out meaning "shining" or "bright." It came into English from Old French "net," meaning "clean," which traces back to Latin "nitidus," "shining." The sense of tidiness grew out of that idea of something polished and clear. This is a different word from the older English "neat," meaning cattle, which has no connection to it. The noun "neatener" is built in three layers. "Neat" is the base, "-en" is a suffix that turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make [adjective]," so "neaten" means "to make neat," and "-er" marks a person or thing that performs the action. A neatener is therefore whatever tidies or makes something neat. The word is rare in print, and its formation is straightforward.