Oyler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or device whose job is to apply oil or lubricant to machinery so that its moving parts run smoothly
2. Someone or something that supplies oil to engines, bearings, or other mechanical parts to reduce friction
3. A worker or apparatus that lubricates equipment, keeping its moving components from wearing down through friction

Etymology: The root of "oiler" is a fruit. Greek "elaia" meant the olive tree, and its derived noun "elaion" meant olive oil. Latin took this as "oleum," which passed into English through French as "oile." English olives are named from the same Latin source, "oliva," so the tree and the oil share one ancestor. "Oyler" is a spelling variant of "oiler," formed from "oil" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who or that which performs an action. An oiler is a person or device that applies oil, and the term has long been used for a sailor who tends a ship's engines and machinery. The "oyl" spelling reflects older English practice, when "oil" itself was spelled in many ways.