Etymologically
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driver

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:50. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈdraɪ.və/, US /ˈdraɪ.vɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English drivere,[2] an agent noun formed from drive and -er.[3][2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A herdsman or drover, one who drives livestock: the late 14th century,[3] with the surname from the late 13th century.[3] The OED's general sense is from the 14th century.[5]

Semantic evolution

One who drives a vehicle or the animal that pulls it is from the mid-15th century,[3][5] and a driver of cattle in the OED from 1483.[5] In the United States the overseer of a gang of slaves was called a driver by 1796,[3][5] and later any hard supervisor.[4] A golf club for hitting long distances is by 1892.[3] Driver's seat is attested by 1867, and figuratively, “in control”, by 1954.[3] In Peeblesshire curling a driver was a stone thrown very hard.[6]

Timeline

  • late 13th century – as a surname.[3]
  • late 14th century – a drover.[3]
  • mid-15th century – the driver of a vehicle.[3]
  • 1796 – an overseer of slaves.[3][5]
  • 1867 – driver's seat.[3]
  • 1892 – a golf club.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who drives a vehicle.
  2. A person who drives animals; a drover.
  3. A golf club with a wooden or metal head for long shots.
  4. A machine part that transmits motion or power to another.
  5. A tool such as a screwdriver or hammer that applies force to another object.

Word family

  • driverless
  • cabdriver
  • nondriver
  • screwdriver
  • designated driver
  • driver ant
  • engine driver
  • pile driver

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)