Vanquisher

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or force that defeats or overcomes an opponent in battle or competition
2. one who achieves victory by defeating an adversary in combat or contest
3. a victor who conquers or subdues an enemy through superior strength or strategy

Etymology: The surprising part of "vanquisher" is that its ending has a long life of its own. "Vanquish" came into English from Old French "vainquir," itself descended from Latin "vincere," "to conquer." The "-er" that turns it into a doer-noun is a separate story. That ending travelled from Latin "-arius," through Old French "-ier," into Middle English "-er," and it arrived in English by two routes: some forms came through French borrowing, while others descended from Old English "-ere," a native cousin of the same suffix. Put together, "vanquisher" is a plain English formation: the verb "vanquish" with the agent suffix attached, the sort of compound English speakers have produced freely for centuries. Nothing about its form is a coinage or a mistake; it is simply the ordinary machinery of English word-building doing its job on a Latin-rooted verb.

Synonyms: defeater, conqueror, overcomer, subduer, champion

Antonyms: loser, defeated, submissive, victim, follower