-ier: Meaning and Definition of

-ier

1. var. of, usually in nouns designating trades: collier; clothier; furrier; glazier.

-ier

1. a noun suffix occurring mainly in loanwords from French, often simply a spelling variant ofwith 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).