"-ster" meaning in English

See -ster in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Suffix

Forms: -sters [plural]
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā Old English -estre Middle English -estere English -ster From Middle English -estere, -ester, from Old English -estre (“-ster”, feminine agent suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā, of disputed origin. Cognate with Middle Low German -ester, Dutch -ster. Etymology templates: {{etymon|en|:inh|enm:-estere|tree=1}} Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā Old English -estre Middle English -estere English -ster [Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "lang_name" : "Old English", "term" : "-estre", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "ang" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "-estere", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "enm" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "-ster", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="-ster">, {{inh|en|enm|-estere}} Middle English -estere, {{inh|en|ang|-estre|pos=feminine agent suffix|t=-ster}} Old English -estre (“-ster”, feminine agent suffix), {{inh|en|gmw-pro|*-astrijā}} Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā, {{cog|gml|-ester}} Middle Low German -ester, {{cog|nl|-ster}} Dutch -ster Head templates: {{en-noun|s}} -ster (noun-forming suffix, plural -sters)
  1. Someone who is, or who is associated with, or who does something specified. Tags: morpheme
    Sense id: en--ster-en-suffix-k70sS1YJ
  2. (humorous, sometimes offensive) A diminutive appended to a person's name. Tags: humorous, morpheme, offensive, sometimes
    Sense id: en--ster-en-suffix-Kv-87YS7 Categories (other): English entries with etymology trees, English entries with etymon, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages using catfix, Pages using etymon with no ID, Pages with 3 entries, Pages with entries, Pages with etymology trees, Pages with etymon Disambiguation of English entries with etymology trees: 22 78 Disambiguation of English entries with etymon: 28 72 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 13 87 Disambiguation of Pages using catfix: 11 89 Disambiguation of Pages using etymon with no ID: 11 89 Disambiguation of Pages with 3 entries: 9 91 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 6 94 Disambiguation of Pages with etymology trees: 9 91 Disambiguation of Pages with etymon: 8 92
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: -er, -or

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-estere",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *-astrijā\nOld English -estre\nMiddle English -estere\nEnglish -ster\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-estre\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-estere\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ster\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ster\">",
      "name": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-estere"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -estere",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-estre",
        "pos": "feminine agent suffix",
        "t": "-ster"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -estre (“-ster”, feminine agent suffix)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*-astrijā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "-ester"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German -ester",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-ster"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch -ster",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *-astrijā\nOld English -estre\nMiddle English -estere\nEnglish -ster\nFrom Middle English -estere, -ester, from Old English -estre (“-ster”, feminine agent suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā, of disputed origin. Cognate with Middle Low German -ester, Dutch -ster.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-sters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "-ster (noun-forming suffix, plural -sters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who is, or who is associated with, or who does something specified."
      ],
      "id": "en--ster-en-suffix-k70sS1YJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "associated",
          "associated"
        ],
        [
          "specified",
          "specified"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 72",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using catfix",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 94",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1992, Russell Baker, \"Observer; Pretty Good Read\" (review of What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer), New York Times, 25 Jul.,\nCramer's exploration of the hearts, minds and souls of America's ambition-crazed Presidential candidates moves ahead at a pace that feels childishly frantic . . . . This is not just because it keeps referring to Senator Robert Dole as \"the Bobster.\""
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              24,
              28
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 April 21, John Crace, “Psycho goes down raging: the liberal wokerati finally get to Raab”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 13 May 2023:",
          "text": "“Never better,” the Raabster spat back. “Just get on with it. What’s the score?”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A diminutive appended to a person's name."
      ],
      "id": "en--ster-en-suffix-Kv-87YS7",
      "links": [
        [
          "diminutive",
          "diminutive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(humorous, sometimes offensive) A diminutive appended to a person's name."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "morpheme",
        "offensive",
        "sometimes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "-er"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "-or"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ster"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with etymology trees",
    "English entries with etymon",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English noun-forming suffixes",
    "English suffixes",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Pages using catfix",
    "Pages using etymon with no ID",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymology trees",
    "Pages with etymon"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-estere",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *-astrijā\nOld English -estre\nMiddle English -estere\nEnglish -ster\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-estre\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-estere\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ster\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ster\">",
      "name": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-estere"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -estere",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-estre",
        "pos": "feminine agent suffix",
        "t": "-ster"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -estre (“-ster”, feminine agent suffix)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*-astrijā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "-ester"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German -ester",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-ster"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch -ster",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *-astrijā\nOld English -estre\nMiddle English -estere\nEnglish -ster\nFrom Middle English -estere, -ester, from Old English -estre (“-ster”, feminine agent suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-astrijā, of disputed origin. Cognate with Middle Low German -ester, Dutch -ster.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-sters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "-ster (noun-forming suffix, plural -sters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who is, or who is associated with, or who does something specified."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "associated",
          "associated"
        ],
        [
          "specified",
          "specified"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English humorous terms",
        "English offensive terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1992, Russell Baker, \"Observer; Pretty Good Read\" (review of What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer), New York Times, 25 Jul.,\nCramer's exploration of the hearts, minds and souls of America's ambition-crazed Presidential candidates moves ahead at a pace that feels childishly frantic . . . . This is not just because it keeps referring to Senator Robert Dole as \"the Bobster.\""
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              24,
              28
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 April 21, John Crace, “Psycho goes down raging: the liberal wokerati finally get to Raab”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 13 May 2023:",
          "text": "“Never better,” the Raabster spat back. “Just get on with it. What’s the score?”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A diminutive appended to a person's name."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "diminutive",
          "diminutive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(humorous, sometimes offensive) A diminutive appended to a person's name."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "morpheme",
        "offensive",
        "sometimes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "-er"
    },
    {
      "word": "-or"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ster"
}

Download raw JSONL data for -ster meaning in English (3.9kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/1698",
  "msg": "unrecognized head form: noun-forming suffix",
  "path": [
    "-ster"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "suffix",
  "title": "-ster",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.