Reviler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who directs angry or harsh words at others to criticize or demean
2. Someone who uses offensive language to express contempt or scorn towards another
3. An individual who verbally attacks or insults someone with hostile speech

Etymology: "Reviler" is simply "revile" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who reviles. The interesting part is the suffix itself, which has travelled a long road. It descends from a Proto-Italic ending that became Latin "-arius," used to form nouns for people connected with a thing or occupation. Germanic speakers borrowed it early, and it reached Old English as "-ere," the ancestor of the modern "-er" that now attaches to countless verbs. The verb "revile" came into English from Old French "reviler," meaning to treat with contempt, and the "-er" was then attached to it in English. The suffix's own Old French form, "-ier," came from the same Latin source, so the English ending and the French one are cousins that took separate routes before meeting again in Middle English.

Synonyms: slanderer, abuser, defamer, insulter, critic

Antonyms: supporter, defender, advocate, champion, promoter