starter English · revision 10484

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 1400|origins=en start}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈstɑː.tə(ɹ)/ ''(UK)''; /ˈstɑɹ.tɚ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English stertour, an agent noun from [[start]] with the suffix [[-er]].^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ One who or that which starts; an instigator: about 1400 in Etymonline, late Middle English in the SOED.^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ One who runs away, a coward (1536), is obsolete.^(OED 1989) The official who gives the signal to start a race is by the 1620s,^(Etymonline) and a competitor who starts in a race from 1818.^(OED 1989) The mechanical sense, a device for starting a machine or engine, is from 1875.^(Etymonline) ''For starters'', to begin with, is American colloquial from 1873.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) A starter set, originally of china, is from 1946, and a ''starter home'' from 1976.^(Etymonline) The first course of a meal is also a starter,^(AHD) and in American sports a player in the starting line-up, especially a starting pitcher, by 1967.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1400 – an instigator.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1620s – a race official.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1818 – a competitor.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1873 – for starters.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1875 – an engine starter.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1976 – starter home.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A device for starting an internal-combustion engine.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A person who signals the start of a race, or a competitor who starts.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly British)'' The first course of a meal; an [[appetizer]].^(AHD)

+ # A player who starts a game, especially the first pitcher in baseball.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bungstarter]]

+ * [[nonstarter]]

+ * [[self-starter]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[start]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}