suffixfirst/second-declension suffix (nominative masculine singular in -er)
-fer
-fer (feminine -fera, neuter -ferum)
Classical[fɛr]Ecclesiastical[fer]
Meaning
- morphemesuffix-bearing, -carrying, -bringing
Origins
From Proto-Italic *-foros, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰorós (“carrying”). Related to ferō (“to bear, to carry”). Compare -ger from gerō. Akin to Ancient Greek -φόρος (-phóros) and Sanskrit भार (bhārá).