Rocker

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɒk.ə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A person who performs rock music; a mechanical component that pivots back and forth; a chair constructed to move in a rocking motion
2. An individual known for playing or enjoying rock genre music; a part of a mechanism that swings or tilts; a piece of furniture designed to rock smoothly
3. Someone involved in rock music performance; an element in machinery that rocks on a fixed point; seating furniture built to move gently back and forth

Etymology: "Rocker" is the agent form of the verb "rock," built by adding the suffix "-er" to it, which is why it names someone or something that performs the rocking. The Middle English forms "rokker" and "rokkere" show the same pattern, with the verb "rock" (to sway or move back and forth) already in use then. The suffix does the same job it does in "baker" or "singer," so a rocker is literally one who rocks. The surprising part is how far the word has travelled from that simple sense. The chair meaning comes from the furniture being built to sway, and the mechanical meaning comes from a part that swings or tilts. The music sense, for a performer or fan of rock music, is much later, and it grew out of "rock" as the name of the genre rather than from the verb itself.

Synonyms: musician, guitarist, performer, singer, band member

Antonyms: listener, audience, spectator, non-performer, bystander