Etymologically
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turner

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɝ.nɚ/, /ˈtɜː.nə(ɹ)/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from turn and -er,[2][3] or else is borrowed from Old French torneor, tornere,[2][4][5] from Late Latin tornator, from tornāre (“to turn on a lathe”).[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who shapes objects of wood, metal or bone on a lathe: about 1400.[6][2] MWU dates it to the 13th century, and as a surname it is from the late 13th century.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

A translator is a rare obsolete sense of 1387.[6] A potter who smooths the ware before firing is from 1601,[6] and one who turns in general senses from about 1440.[6] In Scotland a turner was a copper coin worth two pennies Scots, struck under James VI, perhaps from tournois.[7][4] A German-style gymnast, a member of a Turnverein, is from 1854.[3]

Timeline

  • 1387 – a translator (obsolete).[6]
  • c. 1400 – a lathe worker.[6][2]
  • 1601 – a potter.[6]
  • 1854 – a gymnast (from German).[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who shapes wood or metal on a lathe.
  2. A person or thing that turns something.
  3. A gymnast, especially a member of a German-American gymnastics club.

Word family

  • woodturner
  • page-turner

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ 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)