Standere

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a person or object that stands upright, such as a support or frame that keeps something erect
2. A thing or person that remains in an upright position, often a prop or post used to hold something up
3. Something that stands erect, especially a supporting frame or pillar, or a person who remains on their feet

Etymology: In English, a "stander" is an upright post that holds something else up, and the word is built from the verb "stand" with the agent suffix "-er," so it literally means "thing that stands." The same pattern gives "fencer" or "banger," and the upright sense is simply the most physical meaning of the agent form, a thing defined by its posture rather than by any action it performs. A close relative shows how readily "stand" produced upright objects. "Standard," meaning a pole bearing a flag or banner, reached English in Old English times, borrowed from Anglo-Norman "estendard." Its exact ancestry is uncertain, but it is probably linked to Frankish roots meaning "to stand," so the flagpole and the post share an origin in the idea of something set upright.

Synonyms: standard, stander