Rigger

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. An individual who specializes in constructing and managing rigging for load-bearing applications in various fields, such as entertainment or shipping
2. A professional dedicated to the assembly and maintenance of rigging systems for lifting and securing heavy materials in industries like theater or maritime
3. A worker skilled at assembling and handling ropes, cables, or chains used to support or move heavy objects

Etymology: The "-er" in "rigger" is the same ending found in "baker" or "writer," and it comes from Old English "-ere," which marked a person who performs an action. So the word is simply "rig" plus that agent ending, meaning one who rigs. The verb "rig" itself is the base, and it is the one doing the real work of meaning here: a rigger is someone who handles the rigging, the ropes, tackle, and supports that hold up ships' masts and sails, or the equipment used to lift and position heavy loads. The suffix has a longer ancestry than its Old English form suggests. Its path runs back through Proto-Germanic and Proto-Italic to Latin "-arius," which spread widely as an agent suffix, and Old French "-ier" carried it into Middle English alongside native forms. English thus had two streams feeding "-er," and this word sits where the native ending was attached to a base that was itself a recent arrival in English.

Synonyms: installer, erector