Rankers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group or set of individuals who are positioned based on their achievements or qualities in a hierarchy
2. Those who are placed in order of superiority or status within a specific context or field
3. A classification system that organizes people according to their performance or level of expertise

Etymology: "Rankers" is the plural of "ranker," and the word is built from "rank" plus the suffix "-er." One runs through Old English "-ra" and Middle English "-ere," a comparative ending that marks the more of something, as in "bigger" or "faster." The other runs through Latin "-arius," which English received through Old French "-ier" and which marks a person connected with a thing, as in "butcher" or "carpenter." Both lines of descent end in the same spelling, so the English ending looks like a single suffix even though two different histories feed into it.

Synonyms: top performers, leaders