Stripper

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /stɹɪpɚ/

Definitions

1. A person who performs by gradually removing their clothes as entertainment ; a tool or machine used to remove coatings, coverings, or insulation from objects like wires
2. An entertainer who undresses on stage to amuse or attract an audience ; an implement designed to peel or take away layers or coatings from materials
3. Someone who takes off clothing in a dance or show for amusement ; a device that strips protective layers or outer parts from items such as cables or paint

Etymology: The most surprising thing about this word is its ending, which is much older than the verb it attaches to. The "-er" that turns "strip" into a doer noun descends from Latin "-arius", a suffix that marked a person connected with or practising something. It passed through Proto-Germanic "-ārijaz" into Old English as "-ere", the same ending found in native words like "baker" and "farmer". A parallel form arrived from Old French "-ier" and merged with it in Middle English, which is why one ending now covers both inherited and borrowed words. The formation itself is simple: "strip" plus "-er". That one suffix lets the word name a person who performs the action or a device that does it, so the entertainer and the wire-stripping tool are the same grammatical idea applied to different things.

Synonyms: remover, peeler, uncloaker, disrober, dismantler

Antonyms: draper, coverer, wrapper, encloser, concealer