Obstructer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or thing that blocks a path, passage, or progress to prevent movement or development
2. Someone or something that deliberately interferes or stands in the way to delay or stop advancement
3. An individual or object that causes obstruction by interrupting normal flow or progress

Etymology: "Obstructer" is simply obstruct with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so it means a person or thing that obstructs. The suffix has a longer history than the verb it joins. It descends from Latin "-arius", which English borrowed through Old French "-ier" and which entered English as Middle English "-er", the same ending found in words like baker and singer. The Latin suffix itself traces back to Proto-Italic and Proto-Germanic forms, so the ending is ancient even though its use with "obstruct" is English. The verb "obstruct" comes from Latin "obstruere", meaning to build against or block up, which gives the word its physical sense of something built across a path. "Obstructer" follows the same pattern as many English nouns in "-er" formed from Latin verbs, so its meaning stays close to the literal idea of a blocker, whether that is a physical barrier or an obstacle to progress.

Synonyms: blocker, hindrance, impeder

Antonyms: facilitator, helper