Tooter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An informal term for someone who plays a brass or woodwind instrument; a person who makes a honking sound, typically from a vehicle horn; a slang term for a person who uses drugs, especially inhalants or recreational substances of abuse
2. A casual designation for an individual skilled in playing musical horns or similar instruments; someone who emits loud noises, particularly from cars or trains; a colloquial reference to a drug user who ingests substances through inhalation
3. A light-hearted label for musicians who play instruments like trumpets or saxophones; a person creating honking or tooting noises, especially from machines; a slang term for individuals who engage in substance abuse, particularly inhalants

Etymology: "Tooter" is simply "toot" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who toots. The verb "toot" is imitative, echoing the short blast of a horn or whistle, and the suffix behind "-er" has a long pedigree: it passed from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier" into Middle English "-er," and it is the same ending found in words like "baker" and "writer." Its earlier Germanic route runs through Old English "-ere," so the ending has been part of English for well over a thousand years. The slang sense for inhalant abusers is a later extension of the noisy sense, built on the same idea of making a sound, and the musical sense simply names a player of brass and reed instruments that toot. Each use follows the suffix's basic job: naming the person who does the action.

Synonyms: horn, hooter, blower, trumpeter, bugler