Surpriser

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Someone who causes an unexpected event or reaction in others
2. An individual who presents something unexpected or astonishing
3. A person who delivers a surprise, catching others off guard with actions or revelations

Etymology: "Surpriser" is a plain formation: the verb "surprise" with the agent suffix "-er," which turns a verb into a noun for the one doing the action, as in "baker" or "singer." So a surpriser is simply whoever surprises someone. The verb it rests on has a longer story. "Surprise" came into English from Old French "surprendre," meaning "to overtake" or "to seize," built from Latin "superprehendere," literally "to grasp from above." The sense of catching someone unawares, which is what the modern word carries, grew out of that older idea of seizing or taking someone by force, so a surprise was once something that overpowered you.

Synonyms: ambusher, attacker

Antonyms: defender, protector