Obstructor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual or object that prevents movement or progress by creating an obstacle
2. Someone or something that obstructs or impedes the normal flow or function of a process
3. A person or thing that hinders advancement by blocking or interfering with actions

Etymology: "Obstructor" is a variant of "obstructer," and the two forms share a simple history. The base verb "obstruct" comes from the Latin "obstruere," meaning to build against or block up, from "ob-" (against) and "struere" (to pile up or construct). English took the verb from that Latin root, and the agent ending "-er" was attached to it in English to name the one doing the blocking. The "-er" ending has a longer journey than the word it sits on. It descends from Latin "-arius," a suffix that marked a person connected with something, which passed through Old French "-ier" into Middle English and then into the modern "-er" we use to form agent nouns. The "-or" spelling in "obstructor" reflects the Latin-style ending, which English writers sometimes preferred for words borrowed or coined with Latin components.

Synonyms: blocker, hindrance, impediment, barrier, interferer

Antonyms: facilitator, enabler, promoter, advocate, helper