-ster

a suffix used in forming nouns, often derogatory, referring especially to occupation, habit, or association: gamester; songster; trickster.

Origin:
Middle English; Old English -estre; cognate with Dutch -ster, Middle Low German -(e)ster

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To -ster

Collins

World English Dictionary

-ster

—*suffix forming nouns*
1.	Compare -stress indicating a person who is engaged in a certain activity: prankster; songster
2.	indicating a person associated with or being something specified: mobster; youngster

[Old English -estre]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

00:10

-ster is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

-ster

O.E. -istre, from P.Gmc. *-istrijon, feminine agent suffix used as the equivalent of masculine -ere. Also used in M.E. to form nouns of action (meaning "a person who ...") without regard for gender. The genderless agent noun use apparently was a broader application of the original feminine suffix, beginning

in the north of England, but linguists disagree over whether this indicates female domination of weaving and baking trades, as represented in names like Webster, Baxter, Brewster, etc. (though spinster clearly represents a female ending). In Modern Eng., the suffix has been productive in forming derivative nouns (gamester, punster, etc.).

Quote Of The Day

"I've never been convinced that experience is linear, circular, or even random. It just is...."

-Toni Cade Bambara

Enjoy Dictionary.com ad-free! Learn more

gamester gangster gypster hipster hoopster huckster