Wheeler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who controls or operates a vehicle with wheels ; a vehicle described by the number or arrangement of its wheels ; a person known for scheming or maneuvering in a crafty way
2. One who steers or navigates a wheeled conveyance ; a classification of vehicles based on wheel count or placement ; a character type noted for sly or opportunistic behavior
3. A driver or operator of a wheeled transport ; a description of vehicles grouped by wheeled design ; a person who uses cunning or trickery to influence situations

Etymology: The word "wheeler" is built from "wheel" and the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who wheels or works with wheels. Its Middle English form, "whelere," shows the same pattern, and the word has long been used for someone who steers a vehicle, the sense this entry describes. The surprise lies in its doublets. "Wheeler" is a piecewise doublet of "cycler," meaning that the two words are related by descent from a common source but split into different forms and senses over time. "Cycler" comes from the same ancient notion of circling that "wheel" carries, so the two words were once tied to the same rolling motion, one passing through English as "wheeler" and the other arriving later through a different route.

Synonyms: driver, operator