Updater

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or program that improves and revises software elements to ensure functionality
2. A software module designed to install improvements or new versions ; a device or individual responsible for modifying and refreshing information to maintain accuracy
3. A program part that handles delivering patches and enhancements to software ; an agent or mechanism that changes existing data or details to keep them current

Etymology: "Updater" is formed simply from "update" plus the agent suffix "-er," which English has used since Old English to turn a verb into a word for a person or thing that performs the action. The suffix has a long ancestry: it traces back through Old English "-ere," Middle English "-ere" and "-er," and Old French "-ier," all descending from Latin "-arius," which denoted a person connected with or occupied in something. The base word "update" is the more recent piece. It is formed from "up" and "date," the sense of "date" here being "to bring something up to date," so that the verb means to make something current again. The noun and verb uses of "update" are both English formations, and the agent noun "updater" follows the same pattern as many other "-er" words built on modern verbs, such as "installer" or "scanner."

Synonyms: refresher, modifier, reviser