-ier

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variant of -er¹, usually in nouns designating trades: collier; clothier; furrier; glazier.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of -ier

Middle English -ier(e), variant of -yer(e) (cf. -yer), equivalent to -i- v. stem ending + -ere-er¹, probably reinforced by Old French -ier<Latin -ārius-ary (cf. soldier)

Words nearby -ier

IEE, I.E.E.E., -iensis, IEP, Ieper, -ier, Ieyasu, if, IFA, IFAD, IFALP

Other definitions for -ier (2 of 2)

-ier²

a noun suffix occurring mainly in loanwords from French, often simply a spelling variant of -eer, with which it is etymologically identical (bombardier; brigadier; financier; grenadier); it is also found on an older and semantically more diverse group of loanwords that have stress on the initial syllable (barrier; courier; courtier; terrier). Recent loanwords from French may maintain the modern French pronunciation with loss of the final r sound (croupier; dossier; hotelier).

Origin of -ier

<French, Old French <Latin -ārius, -āria, -ārium-ary; cf. -aire, -eer, -er²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use -ier in a sentence

A crude label, written in red crayon and held on with tape, read , “Friedrich Wilhelm Ier, der Soldaten König.”
The Real Monuments Men: The Coronation Chamber of Hitler|Robert Edsel|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chef of the customhouse, esteeming the old sol'iers so highly, is an old sol'ier himself,—is it not so?
In Madeira Place|Heman White Chaplin
Ier had the place for some time,rather a bore to keep up,wants quite an army of servants.
The Sorrows of Satan|Marie Corelli
Histoire de la Suède pendant la vie et sous la règne de Gustave Ier.
The Swedish Revolution Under Gustavus Vasa|Paul Barron Watson

It shows no marked archaisms of form, unless the infinitive in -ier is to be accounted as such.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 3|Various
He died af-ter a long sick-ness at his home in Mont-pel-ier on June 28th, 1836.
Lives of the Presidents Told in Words of One Syllable|Jean S. Remy

British Dictionary definitions for -ier

-ier

suffix forming nouns

a variant of -eer brigadier

Word Origin for -ier

from Old English -ere -er 1 or (in some words) from Old French -ier, from Latin -ārius -ary

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012