driver English · revision 3576

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=late 14th century|origins=en drive}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈdraɪ.və/, US /ˈdraɪ.vɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|drivere]],^(MWU 2024) an agent noun formed from [[drive]] and [[-er]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A herdsman or drover, one who drives livestock: the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) with the surname from the late 13th century.^(Etymonline) The OED's general sense is from the 14th century.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ One who drives a vehicle or the animal that pulls it is from the mid-15th century,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and a driver of cattle in the OED from 1483.^(OED 1989) In the United States the overseer of a gang of slaves was called a driver by 1796,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and later any hard supervisor.^(SOED 2002) A golf club for hitting long distances is by 1892.^(Etymonline) ''Driver's seat'' is attested by 1867, and figuratively, “in control”, by 1954.^(Etymonline) In Peeblesshire curling a ''driver'' was a stone thrown very hard.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 13th century – as a surname.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 14th century – a drover.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-15th century – the driver of a vehicle.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1796 – an overseer of slaves.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1867 – ''driver's seat''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1892 – a golf club.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person who drives a vehicle.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A person who drives animals; a drover.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A golf [[club]] with a wooden or metal head for long shots.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A machine part that transmits motion or power to another.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A tool such as a [[screwdriver]] or hammer that applies force to another object.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[driverless]]

+ * [[cabdriver]]

+ * [[nondriver]]

+ * [[screwdriver]]

+ * [[designated driver]]

+ * [[driver ant]]

+ * [[engine driver]]

+ * [[pile driver]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[drive]]

+ * [[drove]]

+ * [[drover]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}