Roisterer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual characterized by uproarious behavior during celebrations is often regarded as a spirited reveler
2. A person who partakes in loud and exuberant festivities is frequently termed a raucous participant
3. Someone who takes part in boisterous and energetic social gatherings

Etymology: Roisterer is simply roister plus the agent suffix "-er," so the story is really the story of the verb. Roister came into English as a verb meaning to swagger, bluster or make a noisy show, and the "-er" ending was added to name the person who does it. The suffix itself has a long pedigree: it traces back through Old French "-ier" to Latin "-arius," which denoted a person connected with a trade or occupation, and it reached English through Old English "-ere," an ending that has been attaching itself to verbs and nouns ever since. What makes the word distinctive is how little it has to do with the suffix's usual job. Roister is the older element, and it is the loudness and boastfulness of the base verb that the noun inherits. A roisterer is therefore defined less by what he does for a living than by the boisterous manner he brings to every occasion, which is why the word fits so comfortably with the modern sense of a loud, merry partygoer.

Synonyms: partier, celebrator, reveler

Antonyms: sober, teetotaler